Give attention to safety at 24-hour clinics

The Chuene clinic outside Polokwane in Limpopo is expected to resume operations today after two nurses were abducted, robbed and raped by an armed assailant in the early hours of Friday while on duty. The suspect, who is still on the run, allegedly pointed a firearm at security guards before handcuffing them. The nurses aged 47 and 28, were taken to nearby bushes and raped. The chairperson of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) in Limpopo, Vincent Mukhari, speaks about what needs to be done to ensure the safety of nurses.

Sowetan: What support is Denosa offering the victims?

Mukhari: They have been taken for counselling and when they are ready to return to work, they should not return to the same facility. The facility was closed until January 13 to provide everyone in the facility with counselling. The night duty has been stopped indefinitely.

Sowetan: Is enough being done to ensure the safety of nurses, particularly in rural areas?

Mukhari: There is a lot that we have suggested that should be done, which includes installing cameras and panic buttons in 24-hour facilities. When we say strengthening security, we are not just talking about bringing people who record how many people are entering the place, but we want people who are guarding the nurses. We want a security company to patrol the area and be in constant communication with the control centres. Police officers should also do random patrols around clinics.

Sowetan: With clinics offering 24-hour services, do you think this contributes to the vulnerability of healthcare workers, particularly at night?

Mukhari: Yes, it does. It wouldn’t be simple to commit the crime during the day because people are moving around. The 24-hour service does expose our members, but we understand that the people residing around the clinics are the poorest of the poor and don’t have the means of transporting loved ones to hospitals. We agree with the 24-hour service for the sake of the poor of the poorest.

Sowetan: Should there be a reassessment of the operational hours?

Mukhari: Yes, there should be a reassessment, because previously nurses and security guards were being robbed. These things were happening before, but this one (abduction and rape of the two nurses) is more aggressive. If we don’t do anything then such incidences might happen continuously. The challenge we have is that some clinics are far from hospitals and when a person is attacked at night it would become a challenge for them to get help immediately. So, the best thing is reprioritising the clinics that offer 24-hour service.

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