Victims of abuse need someone to talk to, says Themba Khoza, a professional nurse at Tintswalo Hospital in Acornhoek, Mpumalanga. ”A listening ear is the best medicine.”
Khoza works in Tintswalo’s out-patient department, which includes casualty, a forensic clinic, an orthopaedic clinic, an eye clinic and a gynaecological clinic. ”Since it’s a big unit, we have a shortage of manpower. In spite of that, we do manage to treat the rape survivors and deal with emergencies,” she says.
Born during the 1960s to a poor family, the only career options open to her were nursing and teaching. ”I didn’t like it [nursing] while I was in school. But during my training, I fell in love with it and I developed a passion for the profession. I enjoy talking to people and caring for someone who’s helpless and sharing information I have concerning medicine.”
The hospital sees about five rape survivors a week, depending on the time of the month. ”Month end is busiest. But we have different month ends, because we have nurses, teachers, shop workers in our community. The 15th, 25th, and 31st are our busiest times,” she says, because on these days salaries are paid out.
But caring for rape patients can be exhausting. ”You feel emotionally affected at the end of the interview… Some children are raped by other children, or an elderly woman is raped by her grandchildren. But in spite of this, I give support to the patient. I have been trained how to deal with that and I must continue working. Officially, we don’t have a counselling process for nurses, but I talk with my colleagues.”
Despite the emotional toll, she finds caring for rape patients fulfilling. ”I have empathy for them. This person did not ask to have a terrible thing done to them. Sometimes I wonder how I would feel, if it was myself or my children being raped. I put myself in their boots. I don’t judge them.”
In establishing a relationship with the patient, greeting and maintaining privacy are important. ”If I talk to the person in the corridor, when I am in a hurry, we don’t establish a relationship. But if I take her to a separate room and promise Âconfidentiality, the person gains confidence. She feels safe and that her secret is safe with me.”
Listening and talking to the patient are the most important components of quality care, she says, but educating the community is also important.
”Before, they didn’t have information, they would stay at home for a long time before coming to the hospital. Now we can treat them properly and our community is more knowledgeable about this.”
