A dispute between a nurse and patient that occurred after the patient accused the nurse of “treating them like dogs”, resulting in the patient leaving the clinic without his chronic medication treatment, was finally resolved peacefully.
Kempton Park Civic Clinic staff member, Professional Nurse (PN) N Maboane, and chronic medication patient Lungile (46) from Tembisa, were involved in a misunderstanding over service delivery on March 18.
The misunderstanding emerged when, according to Lungile, he was waiting in line chatting to another patient about the slow service they were receiving since a nurse who used to care for them, had left.
“I arrived at the clinic at 7am but by 11am we still hadn’t been served. I started a conversation with another patient and commented about how the service had deteriorated.
“The new nurse (Maboane) overheard me and told another nurse about what I had said. The next thing I knew I was called to an office and surrounded by four nurses who confronted me about the situation,” Lungile said.
According to an Ekurhuleni metro spokesman, Maboane had been standing in the clinic passage when she overheard Lungile saying to the patients in the queue that “they had been given dogs to look after them”.
“She was devastated after hearing this and went to a fellow nurse to relate what she had overheard. Lungile was called in, followed by Maboane, as to enquire what the problem was and how best to resolve it,” the metro said.
Lungile allegedly repeated the same allegations. The matter was escalated when it was taken to acting Chief Professional Nurse (CPN), Ms M Baloyi, who called into the room Lungile, Maboane, and two other nurses J Silinda and M Maropene, as witnesses.
According to the patient, at this point he felt he was being attacked and “ganged up” against during the confrontation with the four nurses.
“I asked them nicely to let me speak alone with the nurse (Maboane) so I could explain to her what I meant and that I didn’t mean what I said in a bad way, but they refused.”
Lungile claimed the nurses told him that if he wasn’t happy with the clinic’s services, he should go somewhere else.
“They proceeded to give me a letter of transfer to another clinic, without my consent. I refused to take it. I will take the transfer letter as and when I want to.”
But according to the metro this was not how the story went. The nurses instead treated Lungile with respect and he was offered a complaint form and transfer letter, and was not forced into taking it like he claimed. Baloyi also claims that the patient was “arrogant” in his conduct.
“On arrival in her office, Baloyi asked the patient to take a seat, which he refused to do, and she perceived this as being arrogant. Furthermore, Baloyi indicated that nurses had feelings too and were offended by Lungile’s utterances.
“However, she did reprimand the nurses for their behaviour and requested them to be professional in their conduct, no matter what patients say,” the metro said.
Baloyi then offered to fetch Lungile’s treatment for him but upon her return she found he had left. Baloyi then phoned his sister and asked her to request him to come get his medication.
The issue had since been reported to clinic manager Valerie McCulloch, who immediately called Lungile to her office to collect his treatment and resolve the problem.
McCulloch has since offered him an apology, which Lungile accepted.
“The problem at the clinic has been solved and I have received my medication. Everything is back to normal again,” Lungile said.
“I am happy with the way things worked out and I just hope it doesn’t happen to other people too. I wanted to have this story told so other patients can be aware that such issues do occur at clinics and when they do, to know the steps they can take as patients to resolve these issues and have their voices heard as well.”
