Nursing officer suspended for alleged negligence

A NURSING officer at Mnazi Mmoja Referral Hospital has been suspended for six months for allegedly neglecting an expectant mother who was in need of service.

The incident happened recently and the infant died. It was explained that despite calling for a help to give birth safely, the nurse (name withheld) ignored the patient and failed to provide necessary care  to the mother who was identified as Ms Salha Juma Nassor (32), causing her to give birth to a baby without any support.

“We made a thorough investigation after media reported the incident. The accused was also given the right to reply, and we found her guilty,” said Professor Amina Abdulkadir Ali, the Chairperson of the Zanzibar Nurses and Midwives Council (ZNMC).

Flanked by other members of the Council and the lawyer from State Attorney chamber Mr Salim Abdalla, Professor Ali said such incident of negligence  will never be tolerable, and any nurse or midwife who fails to observe ethics, including being rude to patients, will be disciplined and also risk of having their working license revoked.

“Every person, including pregnant mothers, seeking services from health centres is entitled to good care as a right. Once the patient enters the hospital premises, he/she is under all staff.

“Extending good care is also one of the key principles that define our profession, especially as health service providers. The council will not tolerate incidents related to negligence of any kind,” she said.

Prof Ali, however, called on the media and general public to keep reporting or exposing unethical nurses and midwives, because the aim is to keep the profession integrity. She said that since the Council was established in 2016, a total of 19 complaints have been filed with many of the cases resolved.

On several occasions, media (through the famous dawn/sunrise radio programme), patients and legislators have complained against unfriendly reception, use of offensive language, and negligence  in many public health centres, causing inconveniences to patients and sometimes loss of life.

Minister for Health, Mr Nassor Ahmed Mazrui, has repeatedly promised to take strong action against health workers and other staff in hospitals who ignore ethics, as such actions tarnish the image of health staff in public hospitals.