DENOSA to report viral Calcot Dlephu Clinic incident to the SAHRC

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in Gauteng says it will report to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) for further action on the incident where a patient threw what is believed to be urine at the Calcot Dlephu Clinic staff. 

In a video circulating on social media platforms, a patient allegedly threw urine at the nursing staff during their lunch break. 

DENOSA CONDEMNS THE VIRAL CALCOT DLEPHU CLINIC INCIDENT 

DENOSA said it condemns the incident in the strongest terms and believes it is an act of violence and blatant disregard for the staff’s dignity and human rights.

The nursing organisation said it has long called for tighter security measures at health institutions, and the incident is yet another sign of how poorly nurses and other healthcare workers are protected by their employers. 

WATCH: Angry patient ‘throws’ urine at Calcot Dlephu Clinic staff

DENOSA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson Simphiwe Gada asked where security was at the time of the incident and further said there are reasons why patients are waiting for a long time in queues. Most of those reasons are beyond workers’ control and fall into the hands of management.

The organisation called on the Department of Health and Wellness to expedite the investigation into the matter and for action to be taken against the individual who committed this cowardly act of violence against those workers.

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“This is yet another form of GBV because one wonders if it was a group of men sitting there, would this patient have reacted in the same manner, or did he do this because he thought he could get away with it since the employees were women?

“As DENOSA, we will report this matter to the SAHRC for further investigation, as those employees’ rights have been grossly violated. We call on the Commission to take swift action against the perpetrator to curb this from happening again in many other facilities.” 

Simphiwe Gada

Furthermore, Gada called on the MEC and HOD of the Department of Health and Wellness to ensure that the wellness of the staff is prioritised, and said they expect that the staff should have, at the very least, received counselling.

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