Daughter of woman verbally assaulted in viral nurse video speaks
The daughter of a Hammarsdale woman allegedly verbally abused by a St Mary's Hospital nurse - who was caught on a now-viral video - is consulting with a lawyer to obtain answers on what exactly went on in her mother's final hours.
"I am traumatised by what I saw in that video. I did not know that my mother was humiliated like that until I saw the video today (Wednesday)‚" Asanda Ngcobo told TimesLIVE in an exclusive interview.
A 30-year-old woman posted the video on Facebook on Tuesday shortly after she discharged herself from the Pinetown hospital because she was also traumatised by the alleged abuse and the subsequent death of her ward mate‚ 43-year-old Mavis Ngcobo.
She did not want to be named because she has since been receiving death threats.
The video‚ which has gone viral‚ shows a nurse telling the bedridden patient to "get up" and use the bed pan.
"My mother had pneumonia and was too weak to get up. She should have not even been in a general ward. She was seriously ill. My mother was humiliated. Why did the nurse do it in front of other patients? She didn’t even have the dignity to close the curtains to change her. I can't accept that my mother was treated like that just hours before she died‚" Ngcobo said.
She said Facebook comments that defended the nurse and criticised the woman for posting the video were "wrong".
"I am not angry at the woman who put up that video. She did it to help other patients. I am angry at the nurse. She was not encouraging my mother. She was belittling her‚" Ngcobo said.
Ngcobo has no plans to meet the hospital management or the KwaZulu-Natal department of health.
"I don’t want to go there or see them. I have spoken to a lawyer. My lawyer must now deal with this. I have to bury my mother."
On Wednesday morning the KwaZulu-Natal health department said it would respond to the allegations against the nurse but by 3pm had still not issued a statement.