A provincial member of South Africa's Health Department has expressed worry over the frequent rape cases in South Africa's hospitals.
The member, Magoma? Masike, who is South Africa's North West Province Member of Executive Committee (MEC)Health Department, described the development as? “a dangerous development to the medical profession''.
Masike who spoke to reporters on Monday, noted that the incidents indicated that the moral fibre of the South Africa society was actually going down.
He announced that a male nurse had been fired for allegedly raping a patient, suffering from depression in Potchefstroom Hospital, North West of the country on Friday.
?“We went through a disciplinary process where the man was found guilty and was fired.”
?He said the Provincial Health Department had apologised to the woman and the community.
“We believe that hospitals should be safe places and we are quite disappointed with this dangerous trend among our medical personnel.”
North West police spokesperson, Brig. Thulani Ngubane said the 24-year-old man would appear in the Potchefstroom
Magistrates' Court on Feb. 16.
“The patient was admitted in the hospital for depression. She was sitting in a TV room when she was called by the male nurse.
“According to the information we received, the victim followed the suspect because she thought he was calling her to give her medicine.
“It is alleged that the suspect drugged the victim before raping her.? The suspect used rubber gloves during the rape and disposed of it in the dustbin.”
The alleged rape happened on Thursday, Jan. 19 while the suspect appeared in court for the first time on Jan. 21 and was released on bail.
However, in November last year, a male nurse from a Bloemfontein hospital in Free State Province appeared in court on a charge of raping a terminally ill cancer patient. The woman has since died.
Also in December last year, KwaZulu-Natal Province Police, declared a male nurse wanted, for allegedly raping a mentally ill patient in a shower at Osindisweni Hospital in Durban.
?
?
?