Nurses attacked outside N17 Hospital
Two attacks on nurses which happened shortly after one another in September, have led to management staff at the N17 Hospital taking matters into their own hands.
Street lights in Tonk Meter Way in front of the N17 Hospital have been nonoperational for many months, which has allegedly contributed to two nurses being attacked in September.
The attacks happened to nurses who use public transportation shortly before shift changes at 7am and 7pm – which allowed the darkness to make them easy targets, as the street lights in Tonk Meter Way are not operational.
“I started working here in July last year and since then, the lights have never worked,” says general manager Andries Joubert.
He brought the incident up during the Eastern Gauteng Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s monthly meeting and asked for a meeting with City Council to be arranged, which is yet to be confirmed.
Nursing services manager Amelia Stone logged a complaint at Metro’s call centre on September 29, but hasn’t received any feedback.
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“We just want to make sure that our staff members are safe,” Stone says.
After the last incident occurred, a meeting with the Springs SAPS resulted in a raid of the area; which have led to several unrelated arrests, Joubert says.
He maintains that the police have also increased their patrols in the area, especially at night.
“They have been very helpful,” Joubert added.
The attitude seems to be that if the lights are fixed, the cables will just be stolen within two to three days again, he explained.
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Jourbert saw to it that a 5 meter radius around the hospital’s perimeter was cleared of all shrubbery last year, to increase visibility.
The hospital haven’t experienced other incidents of crime.
At the time of publication, Metro haven’t responded to queries regarding the matter.
