Nurses slam hospital shoot-out
2008-06-02 21:10
Johannesburg - The shooting of a patient in full view of doctors and nurses was condemned on Monday by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa).
The organisation said: "We condemn it in the strongest possible terms... and we are annoyed that these incidents of brutality in hospitals are persisting, despite having engaged the employer about them on numerous occasions."
On Saturday, Luntu Mdodwana, 24, was killed and his attending doctor wounded after three men fired shots in the trauma unit at Port Elizabeth's Livingstone Hospital.
According to police, Mdodwana was admitted to hospital in a stable condition being shot by unidentified men in New Brighton.
Later that day, four men overpowered guards at the hospital and shot and killed Mdodwana.
Hospitals not battlefields
According to police, five to seven shots were fired, one of them hitting a doctor in the back. The killers then fled the hospital.
Captain Johann Rheeder said no arrests had been made yet.
Denosa said hospitals were not battlefields and called for the Department of Health to take effective steps to ensure efficient safety and security in hospitals.
"The country is already faced with shortages of health workers due to poor remuneration, huge workloads and a lack of safety and security. It cannot be correct for the employer to allow this brutality to continue."
Denosa also called for a review of "government policy" in having unarmed guards at hospitals and for the immediate arrest of the culprits, as well as psychological support for the traumatised nurses.
The organisation sent its condolences to the family of the dead man and wished the wounded doctor a speedy recovery.
- SAPA