A 37-year-old woman has been sued for allegedly beating a nurse at Ndola Teaching Hospital [NTH] after she was asked to leave the ward where her mother was admitted. A security officer testified that he arrested Ruth Mutaka after she allegedly assaulted Mercy Malipa, a nurse.

This is in a matter Mutaka is charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. When the matter came up before magistrate Bubala Sikalunda yesterday, Juma Zulu narrated that on January 9 this year, while he was on the fourth floor of the hospital, he was called to remove Mutaka from the ward as Ms Malipa wanted to attend to her [Mutaka’s] sick mother. He told the court that when he asked Mutaka to step out, she allegedly became unruly.

Mr Juma said while trying to remove Mutaka from the ward, she allegedly attacked him. He managed to drag her through the corridor, where she allegedly hit him in the private part. “She also bit me on the hand with her teeth and so, I let go of her,” he said. Mr Juma said after the altercation with Mutaka she charged at Ms Malipa whom she allegedly kicked and accused of being unprofessional.

“After Mutaka became violent, I decided to reinforce the manpower and we managed to remove her from the ward,” Mr Juma said. He reported the matter to NTH police post. In cross-examination, Mutaka challenged the security officer to state why he removed her from her mother’s bedside despite her [Mukata] not being able to walk on her own.

Arresting officer constable Mercy Simbulyani said she arrested Mutaka after Ms Malipa reported the matter. She said during investigations, Mutaka told the officer that she acted in the manner she did because she was under pressure. “She told me she had too much pressure and was confused as she had three other relatives admitted at the same hospital,” she said. Ms Simbulyani said Ms Malipa complained of painful hips and was issued a medical report.