Mpumalanga nurses face disciplinary action over patient that was stuck on floor

Three nurses at Tonga Hospital in Mpumalanga will face disciplinary action after a patient alleged that one of them mishandled her while providing care.

A video has been circulating on social media showing a naked patient sitting on the floor unable to get up.

The patient’s daughter told Mpumalanga Mirror that her mother was mistreated and assaulted by a nurse when she fell off her bed while trying to use the restroom.

Three nurses facing disciplinary action

The family met with hospital management on Monday morning, and following the meeting, the Mpumalanga Department of Health issued a statement confirming the disciplinary actions against three nurses.

The department said the patient alleged that one of the nurses mishandled her while she was half naked lying on the floor next to her bed on 21 March.

“A preliminary investigation found that the female patient, who was admitted on the 13th of March 2025 with left diabetic foot and hypertension, called for help and requested a bedpan after having taken lactulose for constipation,” department spokesperson Dumisani Malamule said in a statement.

“When the nurses went to fetch the bedpan, the patient crawled out of the bed trying to reach the toilet. When the nurses returned with the bedpan, the patient had already messed on the floor.”

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The department said that the nurses said they received assistance from porters to lift the patient back into her bed due to her body size.  

Harsh words and ‘mishandling’

The patient, however, who was interviewed by the department, said she was unhappy about the way she was treated. She said the nurse used harsh words and mishandled her on the back of her neck while she was helped back to the bed.

“She indicated that the nurse did not beat her but mishandled her. The professional nurse also agreed that the patient is correct regarding the handling of the back of the neck, saying it was during the time when they were assisting her,” Malamule said.

The department confirmed that it also interviewed another patient who was sleeping next to the patient alleged to have been assaulted, and they confirmed what she said.

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The family of the patient was also informed of the incident.

“The three nurses who were on duty were summoned for explanation and writing of statements. Following this incident, the three nurses will be subjected to disciplinary hearing processes,” Malamule said.