‘When I walk around here I am very worried’ – nurse

A Helen Joseph nurse was violently raped while on duty on August 29.

The 48-year-old was reportedly reporting for duty.

According to the nurse, the attacker demanded money and physically abused her.

When she attempted to hurt his scrotum, the perpetrator reportedly became more violent, hitting everything in front of him until she fell down.

The perpetrator is said to have subsequently electrocuted the survivor.

The victim who works for the National Health Laboratory Service, sustained severe injuries and was only discharged from the Netcare Milpark Hospital after three days.

She is dreading going back to work although the Gauteng Health Department has beefed up security measures at the hospital.

Since the occurrence of this incident, the hospital management has taken precautionary measures by availing extra security personnel to escort health workers who need to move around the hospital.

Additional personnel have also been recruited to ensure that all floors are covered.

Locks have also been changed and measures have been put in place to ensure that the area is also secured.

Some hospital staffers are scared for their lives.

“When I walk around here I am very worried because I have no clue what will happen to me right now, some of the passages do not even have lights,” said a nurse.

However, some doctors were happy about the changes that have been made.

“I am not scared to do my job or to walk around. I think this was an opportunistic crime and the guards cannot stop people from coming in,” said one doctor.

The Democratic Alliance Health Shadow Minister Jack Bloom came out to ridicule this vicious crime.

“What value are we getting for the R6.5 million that is spent annually for the security contract to guard the Helen Joseph Hospital? I have long questioned the soaring costs of hospital security in Gauteng, and I suspect corruption in the awarding of certain contracts,” he said.

The perpetrator is still at large.