Cape Town – Nursing union Denosa in the Eastern Cape has condemned the brutal attack on a nurse, allegedly by her husband, at the Cradock Hospital on Monday.
Denosa said it was concerned about the gender-based violence incident which took place the hospital on Monday.
It is alleged that the husband allegedly forcefully entered the hospital and carried out the attack inside the facility premises.
It is reported that the perpetrator also injured the security guard at the hospital who had come to assist.
Denosa provincial secretary in the Eastern Cape, Veli Sinqana, said the culprit was later apprehended but was granted bail after appearing at the Cradock Magistrate's Court on Friday.
Sinqana believed that the incident was similar to many other incidents that took place inside healthcare facilities, adding that it highlighted the continuing poor state of safety at the hands of the Department of Health “with no consequences at all”.
"Because this incident is not happening for the first time, and there are no improvements in cases where this has happened.
"We are consulting the legal department for possible action over the negligence by the department and total disregard of Occupational Health and Safety Act.
"Denosa is pleading for community support in cases like this, because they deprive the very same communities of healthcare workers," he said.
He further confirmed that the nurse would be lost to the system for some time while communities need more nurses in their hospital.
"This is all because a fully mature, healthy and fully-abled man decided to cause harm on a nurse at the time when more women fall victim to gender-based violence and femicide," Sinqana added.
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