Suspect in Galeshewe Day Hospital stabbing case to appear in court

A suspect, who allegedly stabbed a patient multiple times, while he was receiving treatment at the Galeshewe Day Hospital in the Northern Cape, is expected to appear in court this week. In an incident that shocked the Kimberley community, a patient was stabbed multiple times in full view of hospital staff.

The stabbed man is currently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where he is receiving medical treatment.

Provincial health spokesperson Lebogang Majaha says the incident is highly regrettable.

“We are quite worried and concerned as a department, but it also happened at a time when we were busy conducting our risk assessment, just to make sure there is security in most of our facilities, especially the 24-hour facilities. In this case, it is a matter that we are deliberating on as a department, to make sure that whatever mortality that we are going to come up with, all our patients and staff are highly protected in our facilities. It will be something that we do to make sure that we avert such a situation in the future,” says Majaha.

Meanwhile, nursing organisation of South Africa (Denosa) in Northern Cape says it is not shocked by the stabbing of the man in Galeshewe Day Hospital. The union says it has been calling on the Department of Health to beef up security at health facilities to no avail.

Provincial chairperson of Denosa, Derek Sak, says, “We have been pleading with the Department of Health to address the issue of safety and security in the workplace, which has fallen on deaf ears. We have a HOD of health who doesn’t engage as Denosa in the province. Our position is very clear, the safety of our members and the public is priority number one.”