Byline: Nonjabuliso Nhlambo
24 March 2025
The Mpumalanga Department of Health issued a statement that it will take disciplinary actions against three nurses at Tonga Hospital.
This came after allegations of alleged assault that were reported against the nurses by a patient.
It is alleged that one of the nurses mishandled the patient who was half naked lying on the floor next to her bed.
A preliminary investigation found that the female patient who was admitted on the 13th of March 2025 with Left Diabetic foot and Hypertension, called for help and requested a bed pan after having taken Lactulose for constipation.
When the nurses went to fetch the bed pan, the patient crawled out of the bed trying to reach to the toilet. When the nurses returned with the bed pan, the patient had already messed on the floor.
According to the nurses who is alleged to have assaulted the patient on the 21st of March 2025, they got assistance from porters to lift her back to bed due to her body size.
The patient was interviewed about the incident and indicated that the professional nurses used harsh words to her and mishandled her on the back of her neck while she was assisted back to the bed and she was unhappy about it.
She indicated that the nurse did not beat her but mishandled her.
The nurses also agreed that the patient was correct regarding the handling of the back of the neck saying it was during the time when they were assisting her.
The Department also interviewed another patient sleeping next to the patient alleged to have been assaulted and confirmed what the patient said.
The family of the patient was also informed of the alleged incident.
The three nurses who were on duty were summoned for explanation and writing of statements. Following this incident, the three nurses will be subjected to a disciplinary hearing process.
