Chronicle Editor
Thandeka Moyo-Ndlovu, [email protected]
A TRAINEE nurse aide has been expelled from Mpilo Central Hospital after posing as a public relations officer and duping members of the public into sending money into her EcoCash account purportedly to assist a patient allegedly in dire need of medication, cash and food.
Ms Thatho Ncube from Pumula East recorded one of the patients, Ms Sithulisiwe Gambiza, who was asking for handouts to cover her medical bills as she had been admitted early January without any visits from her family in Gwanda and Masvingo.
In the audio that has gone viral, Ms Gambiza, an epileptic patient who is entitled to free treatment, was asking well-wishers to send money to Ncube, who is said to be a nurse at Mpilo.
Ms Gambiza said she had an accident on January 3 on her way from Kariba using a local bus operator and was appealing for any kind of help claiming there was no medication, or food from the hospital.
She said her family was in Gwanda but they had never visited her and had asked a nurse to help her appeal to members of the public. In the audio, Ms Gambiza also said interested members of the public should use Ms Ncube’s number. The matter came to light when some residents approached the hospital administration intending to donate money and goods to the nurse yesterday. Upon investigation, it was discovered that Ncube is not a nurse or an employee of Mpilo Hospital and that Ms Gambiza had altered some of the information in her appeal done with Ncube’s assistance.
Documents show that Ms Gambiza was attended at Sally Mugabe Hospital on January 12 at the outpatient department. On January 17 she was presented at Mpilo where she was admitted after complaining of fractures in her right hand. During her treatment, she complained of a backache and is scheduled for a CT scan on Monday as she had been unstable during the past few days.
Mpilo clinical director, Professor Solwayo Ngwenya, confirmed the incident yesterday saying patients and their relatives should never pay any money to any person including doctors and nurses.
“This morning, it was brought to our attention that there was an audio circulating on social media about the plight of one of our patients, which was made with the aid of one of our volunteer nurse aides attachee” he said.
“In the audio, the patient is calling for donations to be received by the nurse aide attachee,” said Prof Ngwenya.
“The patient is indeed undergoing investigations and treatment for their injuries at the hospital. We took swift, expulsive and decisive disciplinary action as the nurse aide attachee went beyond the boundaries of ethical practice and unacceptable behaviour of offering to receive donations on behalf of the patient, posing as the PRO of the hospital.”
Prof Ngwenya said Mpilo would continue acting on errant workers to protect the greater majority that help in caring for the patients at the hospital.
A Chronicle news crew visited Ms Gambiza yesterday and authorities confirmed that she was recovering.
Principal nursing officer, Matron Phineas Sithole, said the hospital was awaiting CT scan results to ascertain why she has back problems as she initially came in complaining of a fractured hand.
“There is an audio circulating of a lady who is aged 28 and is a known epileptic patient who was attended at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital on January 12. She had a fractured hand in a cast and it doesn’t show whether she was admitted or not but she resurfaced at Mpilo on January 17 now with a backache,” he said.
Online Reporter