VIDEO: 13-year-old patient assaulted in local hospital
An investigation is underway after a video of two security guards allegedly assaulting a patient at Ladysmith Provincial Hospital went viral.
A recent video shared on social media has sparked great outrage across South Africa.
In the video, two security guards can be seen assaulting a 13-year-old boy lying in his hospital bed. The incident allegedly happened at the Ladysmith Provincial Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal.
Warning: Not for sensitive viewers
Apparently this happened at Ladysmith Provincial Hospital. 😳 pic.twitter.com/Wb62QjbfLg
— Man’s NOT Barry Roux (@AdvoBarryRoux) September 30, 2023
According to Pretoria Rekord, the two suspects in the video have been suspended while an investigation into the incident is pending.
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Community members and other political parties like the EFF are calling on the Department of Health to ensure a thorough investigation to ensure justice.
EFF KWAZULU-NATAL STATEMENT ON PATIENT WHO WAS ASSAULTED BY SECURITY GUARDS AT LADYSMITH PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL pic.twitter.com/FVFkt0GRkp
— EFF KZN (@EFFKZN) October 1, 2023
The video was initially shared on TikTok but quickly spread to other social media platforms.
The KZN Health Department issued a statement revealing that it has launched an urgent investigation into the assault of the 13-year-old boy.
According to the Department, the incident occurred last Thursday, and the matter was brought to the attention of hospital management on Friday.
“The department can, in the meantime, confirm that the two security guards have been immediately dismissed by their employer, who is contracted to provide security services at the hospital. The department has also instituted an internal disciplinary process against the nursing staff implicated in the matter,” said Ntokozo Maphisa, KZN Health Department spokesperson.
Maphisa said the patient, who has a disability and was a resident of a place of shelter before his admission to Ladysmith Hospital, has since been moved to another healthcare facility in Durban.
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“As a department, we are shocked and appalled by this incident. Our Health MEC, Nomagugu Simelane, has made it clear that the safety and well-being of our patients is our priority, and that their abuse under any circumstances and in any way, shape or form, will not be accepted.
“We can confirm that the matter has been reported to the police, and to the Department of Social Development. We can also confirm that a disciplinary process is underway into this matter,” Maphisa said
The investigation will also focus on where the nurses were when the incident took place, who called the security guards, and why the patient was assaulted.
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