SIBBINDA – An angry mob of Sibbinda residents stormed a clinic on Saturday to vent their frustration with one of three nurses on duty after she allegedly scalded a security guard with boiling water.
The nurse is alleged to have caused serious abdominal burns to the security guard who called her to attend to patients awaiting treatment, to which she apparently took offence.
The residents were stopped from entering the clinic by three other security guards who locked the gate. The police were later called to calm the situation and the nurse was whisked away under heavy guard.
The nurse is accused of having poured boiling water on the guard after he called her to attend to patients who had been waiting in a queue to be treated for quite some time.
Describing the attitude of the nurse as awful, the residents noted that the latest incident was the last straw after having endured mistreatment from the nurse for the past two years.
When contacted by phone the nurse Ronnety Mata Liswaniso refused to give any comment, stating that this reporter should instead speak to his source before she slammed down the phone.
The nursing supervisor at the clinic Lawrence Mapulanga said he was not at the clinic when the incident occurred and that he needed to get both sides of the story before commenting and taking a decision.
“It was reported to me and the nurse also confirmed that the incident happened but she says it was not intentional. By Monday we will have a meeting with both parties to hear their versions,” said Mapulanga.
When New Era arrived at the scene, hordes of infuriated residents were gathered at the entrance of Sibbinda clinic baying for the blood of the nurse who had locked herself in her house on the premises.
Some of the residents accused the nurse of lacking professionalism, adding they have had enough. “We have been patient for so long with this nurse. A child even died because this nurse gave the wrong injection. She can’t treat people this way,” said one angry resident.
A parent who brought her children for medical attention said she had to wait for treatment prompting the guard to call the nurse, which led to the incident.
“We don’t know whether she was just waking up or not and didn’t want to be woken up. I came here around past ten in the morning. A lot of people have complained about how she treats people. When I brought my children for treatment, we waited and I told the security guard to call the nurse. I don’t know what happened there, I just heard screams,” said the parent.
The security guard, Fredrick Muhupulo, said that he only called the nurse who was still in her house at the time to attend to patients and could not understand what warranted the nurse to pour hot water on him.
“I was on duty. I went inside to tell the nurse that people were waiting for her. Apparently she did not want me to call her and threw hot water on me. I was surprised that she could do something like this,” said Muhupulo.
Meanwhile, the injured security guard is said to have opened a criminal case against her even though this could not be verified at the time of going to print.