‘Imagine being spat in your face or your family cursed’
NURSING staff at the RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth have been criticised for providing shoddy patient care after maggots were found in an elderly man’s mouth.
But the staff, who have been lambasted on social media after a video of the patient went viral, have claimed their working conditions are poor.
Nurses, who declined to be named for fear of reprisal, painted a bleak picture of the daily challenges they faced.
One claimed they were inundated with patients, while another said she was sidelined for a promotion due to her race. A third nurse alleged she was spat on by a patient.
A 36-year-old nurse, who has been employed at the hospital for several years, said she entered the profession as she was intent on providing South Africans with quality health care.
At the start of each shift, she strived to give of her best.
But these days, she has come to realise there are aspects of her job that are beyond her control.
“Many of us chose this career path because of our passion to help those who cannot always help themselves. But we are unable to fulfil our duties to the best of our ability.
“Imagine just three nurses having to deal with between 300 and 500 irate patients, who each want immediate attention?
“The shortage of nurses, the influx of patients, and a lack of resources is our reality,” the nurse said.
“Also, many of the patients live outside the area or are transferred from other clinics that don’t have the equipment or medication. We cannot turn anyone away, so how do we cope? We are under immense pressure all the time.”
Despite the challenges, she said she would not quit her job.
“I am tired. Who wouldn’t be? But from the moment I walk into the hospital to the time I leave, my focus is on my patients and ensuring they receive the best possible treatment.
“There are days when we go without a tea break, lunch break or even a toilet break, but that is the sacrifice we make. For me, these are my people. Many of them are from my community, and it is my way of giving back.”
Another nurse, aged 42, claimed she was stuck in an enrolled nursing position due to posts not being made available.
This, she claimed, was due to racial quotas.
“This is the stark reality for many of the nurses who have been sidelined. I often feel my hands are tied because I am only allowed to fulfil my duties according to my position, and not my skills.
“When people say they receive bad treatment and the ‘nurse didn’t know what she was doing’, well what can one expect when people with a basic training certificate and no clinical training are given higher positions?”
A young student nurse said they often felt the wrath of patients.
“Imagine being spat in the face or your family being cursed because you could not check a diabetic patient’s sugar levels at their request.
“The hospital is not equipped to deal with the increasing number of patients. We feel empathy for our patients as they have to wait up to two days to be admitted because there are no beds available.
“We also can’t do certain tests because a machine is either broken or we don’t have specific equipment.”
The Department of Health had not responded to the nurses’ claims at the time of going to press.