'Thugs' rob and slap nurses‚ so clinic closes its doors at night in KZN

Trauma patients at Ntuzuma‚ outside of Durban‚ will have to travel elsewhere for treatment at night after staff there were attacked.

KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Sibongiseni Dhlomo on Monday announced the suspension of night services for the Ntuzuma Clinic following attacks by "thugs".

Dhlomo visited the facility with local ward councillor Happy Mkhize after learning that on Saturday night‚ two men had entered the clinic via the back entrance.

Dhlomo's spokesman Desmond Motha said they accosted a guard inside‚ took his phone and radio and then robbed nurses. One nurse was slapped and kicked.

Patients will be adversely affected by the suspension of services‚ especially those with stab and gunshot wounds who will now have to travel to clinics at KwaMashu.

"We will be beefing up our security by employing more personnel‚ upgrading security fencing and putting up steel doors at the entrances‚" said Dhlomo. "We will review this decision pending community engagement but for now the clinic is open only during the day‚" he said.

Dhlomo said concessions will be made for women in labour who will be transported by ambulance to KwaMashu.

"These are non-negotiables‚ we really cannot sacrifice the lives of our healthcare professionals by forcing them to work at night to become targets of the tsotsis‚" said Dhlomo.