Dunoon man wins a smartphone. PAGE 3 MID JULY 2017
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Horrifying treatment at Community Health Centre PETER LUHANGA
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young woman lost her temper and smacked a nurse across the face after the nurse blamed her for being an irresponsible mother to her 11-month old son. The furious mother used both hands and a folder to smack the nurse across the face! The incident occurred towards the end of last month. Dunoon resident, Thobeka Pikini (25) took her son to the Dunoon Community Health Centre to receive an immunisation shot. Pikini, who is a single parent, became agitated when the nurse began blaming her for her son’s illness. “The story is very painful. After my son received the immunisation shot, one nurse lashed out at me, criticising me of not being a responsible mother. I asked the nurse, ‘why?’ Said ‘don’t shout at me’ and told her that I follow up on my child’s medication and don’t take any chances when it comes to my child’s health. They blamed me for my child’s illness… I slapped her twice in the face and then also took my son’s hospital folder and slapped it across her face,” said Pikini. She said: “One of the nurses then called the security guards. I told them ‘security my foot. I am not going anywhere’. I then demanded to see a manager.” She said the facility manager came accompanied by a doctor and then called the nurse aside to question her as to what was happening. Later the facility manager and the doctor
At a community meeting called to air grievances, Dunoon’s health committee member, Messie Mpukane (left) holds a microphone for Thobeka Pikini, who slapped a nurse at the Dunoon CHC three times across the face after the nurse scolded her for no reason. Her sister Phaphama Pikini (right) looks on.. Photo: Isolabantu.
apologised to Pikini and told her that in future, she should go straight to meet a doctor and not make an appointment, until such a time as she can trust the nurses at the CHC again. Still angry, Pikini shared her negative experience of the CHC on the Dunoon Facebook page; which has over 20,000 followers. In her post, while detailing her experience, she asked members for advice as whether to lay charges against the nurse at a local police station or not. She was advised against this idea as most people
commenting pointed out that she had just physically assaulted the nurse. Most residents on the group shared similar negative experiences of the CHC. Residents, who for long have had these experiences at the CHC, started proposing a toyi-toyi in order to vent their anger at the nurses. This then prompted ANC’s ward 104 councilor, Lubabalo Makeleni, to arrange a community meeting with residents and the CHC’s senior staff. About 300 residents attended the meeting. They expressed their negative experiences
to senior CHC staff. “When we queue outside waiting to be let in, nurses ask questions like, ‘oh! It’s you again…you are still alive? What have you brought us today? Same faces every day?”’ said the residents. Most people seeking medical attention, when asked in a queue outside what they sought at the CHC, ended up faking a lighter illness so that people behind them in the queue would not hear what they were suffering from. ~ continuied on page 3