Medics demand the arrest of assailants who attacked nurse at health facility
National Nurses Association of Kenya President Collins Ajwang’ addresses participants during a conference at Bamburi Beach Hotel in Mombasa in early October 2022.
What you need to know:
- Kenya Union of Clinical Officers castigated the attack, stating that similar incidents have been distressingly commonplace for nurses.
- Sports and Culture Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba distanced himself from the woman’s actions and condemned her behaviour.
Umbrella bodies representing healthcare professionals, including doctors and nurses, have condemned a viral video in which a nurse on duty is being harassed by two disgruntled individuals at a hospital in Port Victoria, Busia County.
The clip, which goes on for almost four minutes and which has been circulated widely on social media, captures a woman, who was accompanied by an equally unruly man, unleashing a storm of verbal abuse directed at the nurse while invoking the name of a prominent politician.
As the confrontation escalates, the verbal abuse turns into physical violence as the woman hurls medical records and other items across the room, turning the place upside down as the medic flees into another room.
Condemning the incident in a press statement yesterday, National Nurses Association of Kenya President Collins Ajwang demanded legal action to be taken against the perpetrators.
“The provocative savage attack on a nurse allegedly by the relative of a politician was heinous, extreme and uncalled for in totality,” he said in a statement.
The association revealed that the woman captured in the video was an apprentice theatre technician attached to the Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital. She was at the Port Victoria facility on rotation and was a student at the Nairobi Women’s Hospital College.
The Nairobi Women’s Hospital College has since revealed the identity of the assailant as Ms Vanessa Ogema, a student enrolled in its theatre technology programme, and awaiting graduation.
Ms Sandra Mbuvi, the college’s corporate relations officer, announced the initiation of an internal investigation to examine the circumstances surrounding the altercation in order to take appropriate measures.
“We strongly condemn the regrettable actions displayed by Ms Vanessa. These actions don’t align with the values we uphold at NWHC. As an organisation, we are committed to nurturing compassionate and responsible professionals,” Ms Mbuvi said in a statement.
In a series of posts of X, formerly Twitter, the Kenya Union of Clinical Officers castigated the attack, stating that similar incidents have been distressingly commonplace for nurses.
In one of the posts, the union highlighted the vulnerability of health workers to criminal acts due to poor security infrastructure in many hospitals. Healthcare workers are being put in increasing danger from shocking levels of violence and aggression by patients, the union said.
“It is concerning that almost all hospitals do not have scanners, and anybody can get into the hospital with weapons without forgetting that a number of people seeking attention are mentally unwell. Health workers are exposed to these criminal acts especially during night duty.”
Taking to X, Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists and Dentists Union President Davji Atellah, described the attack as “rudimentary, illegal, and immoral.”
“The attitude and action by politicians and their cronies to threaten healthcare workers at their place of work should be curtailed. The safety of healthcare workers is threatened in such facilities. The perpetrators of this heinous act should be brought to book urgently,” he went on to say.
On his Instagram page, Sports and Culture Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba, whose name was mentioned in the clip, distanced himself from the woman’s actions and condemned her behaviour, adding that an investigation is underway.
“I want to directly address the recent discussions surrounding my name. The actions associated with me do not align with my values or commitment to public service. I unequivocally condemn any behaviour against principles of integrity,” he said.
