South Africa: Union Backs Nurse In Controversial Viral Video With Zimbabwean Patient
The Young Nurses Indaba Trade Union (YNITU) supports the nurse featured in a controversial viral video recorded by a Zimbabwean patient at Halfway House Clinic in Midrand on Thursday, 16 January.
According to YNITU’s media statement released on Friday, the widely shared video was carefully cropped to show only part of an hour-long confrontation.
The union argued that despite the heated exchange, the patient’s constitutional right to healthcare services was not denied. The statement reads:
The Nurses in South Africa through their vigorous training understands that section 27 of the Constitution provides that everyone has the right to have access to health care services.
The statement states that the nurse's reaction was prompted by being "provoked" by the patient. The union said:
She reported this incident to her superior with no assistance and had no choice but to stand firm and defend herself.
According to YNITU, the incident unfolded around 1 PM when the nurse, who had just completed her morning patient roster, was called back from lunch by her line manager to attend to additional patients.
Among them was a reportedly impatient individual demanding priority treatment. The situation escalated when the Zimbabwean patient, described as a regular clinic user with a history of targeting the same nurse, entered the consulting room while filming.
According to the union, witness statements gathered by the union said the patient demanded immediate attention and a referral to see a doctor at another facility, disrupting an ongoing consultation.
YNITU said its investigation revealed that the confrontation turned physical, with the patient allegedly preventing the nurse from leaving the room to seek assistance.
However, the viral video began only after the nurse had managed to exit the room and was speaking with her line manager on the phone.
In an interview with The Citizen, YNITU secretary-general Lerato Mthunzi said they understand the presumption of innocence as a legal principle but support the officer as a moral principle.
Mthunzi said the South African health system is strained due to a lack of human and material resources, causing frustration in the community.
She argued that nurses, as frontline workers, often bear the brunt of this public frustration. Mthunzi said the anger directed towards nurses is misplaced, as it is the Department of Health's responsibility to improve infrastructure and provide resources.
Mthunzi said nurse-to-patient ratios are extremely high, leading to substandard care. She said the nurse involved has pressed charges against the patient for assault.
The patient faces charges from another patient who was forced out of the consulting room during the incident.
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