Disabled allegedly denied access to disabled toilet at Witbank Hospital

Most residents of eMalahleni are aware of the plight the provincial hospital is facing, and many people making use of the hospital empathise with the difficult conditions staff is having to work in and the pressure this is putting on the hospital.

A disabled woman had a humiliating experience at Witbank Hospital recently.

 The disabled, elderly woman was admitted to the hospital on April 1. 

At home, she can function unassisted and is even able to drive a vehicle, as her home and vehicle have been modified to accommodate her disability. 

In society, most public spaces have disabled friendly facilities, especially hospitals – or so one would think and expect.

 Her experience at the hospital was acceptable until she needed to use the bathroom.

 To her shock, the only disabled toilet facility in the ward had a sign on it saying, ‘Staff Only‘.

Disabled toilets are specially modified to accommodate wheelchairs and have handles that make it easier to use the toilet and basin for people restricted to wheelchairs.

 The nurses on duty were asked if the patient could use the disabled toilet, and they apparently refused for her to use the bathroom.

According to a family member they told the patient that if she was not able to make use of the normal toilets, then they would put a nappy on her.

Later on in the evening, she noticed the disabled ‘staff toilet‘ door was open, and she decided to go in and make use of the facility that was rightfully for her use in the first place. 

A nurse saw her entering the bathroom and allegedly pushed her out and then locked the door with a padlock.

 Out of sheer desperation, she went to the normal toilets, where another patient helped her onto the toilet.

According to the woman, none of the toilets had a toilet seat on them.

After she was done, she was stuck there for 15 minutes with the cold, hard rim of the toilet digging into her legs, and with nobody to assist her to get off and back into her wheelchair.

 When the family confronted the nursing staff as to why a disabled person could not use the disabled toilets, they were allegedly laughed at and told to go and lay a complaint.

 “This sort of treatment of disabled people, who already have many obstacles to face and overcome in their daily life, is not only shocking and disgusting, but is against the constitution as well,” said the very angry family member.

“We understand that the nursing staff are under immense pressure, and a nurse did inform us that a special ward had to be made to accommodate more patients and that this ward did not have all the facilities needed. We understand that the nurses are stressed and that this often gets taken out on the patients, but it does not make this situation right,” the family member continued.

 The family and the patient have requested to remain anonymous, as they do not want to suffer victimisation if they have to return to the hospital in the future

The hospital was contacted for comment, but no response had been received at the time of going to print.

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