Police have charged the man who was filmed assaulting a nurse at a hospital in the South Sumatra capital of Palembang for assault over the weekend. However, his wife has also come forward to say that there is more to the incident than meets the eye.
On Thursday, a man identified as 38-year-old JT said his child’s arm bled after a nurse, identified as 28-year-old CRS, pulled out the IV needle in the process of discharging the young patient, reportedly a toddler, from the Siloam Sriwijaya Hospital that day. Angered by the incident, JT allegedly called CRS to the room and slapped her face, before ordering the nurse to kneel and apologize. CRS had yet to respond when JT kicked her in the stomach.
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In a video that circulated widely over the weekend, JT can be seen shouting and forcefully pulling CRS’ hair, before the latter was rescued by other nurses out of the hospital room.
Following a medical examination, police said that CRS suffered bruises in her left eye and a swelling on her lips due to the assault. Police arrested JT on Friday night at his home in Ogan Komering Ilir regency and took him to Palembang Police HQ.
Based on witnesses’ testimony, CCTV recording and JT’s own admission of the incident, police have charged him with assault, which could see him imprisoned for up to two years, if convicted.
JT said that he had been exhausted when he lashed out at the nurse.
“I admit to having lost control when I acted. Because I was exhausted, it had been days since I was taking care of my child,” JT said.
As the incident made headlines and became a hotly discussed topic online, JT’s wife Melisa also shared her version of events, saying that CRS didn’t offer an apology after pulling the needle harshly, which allegedly caused the child’s blood to splatter all over the clothing, bed, and even the floor. Melisa said the nurse blamed her for the incident and instructed her not to hold the child, and when the bleeding didn’t immediately stop, Melisa had to summon the head nurse to handle the situation.
“As parents, I think it was natural for us to panic, especially after seeing my child bleeding,” Melisa said yesterday.
“I even had to report to the head nurse before [my child’s] wound was plastered. That nurse [CRS] only patted my child’s bleeding with a toilet tissue. I’m not lying, I am ready to testify later in court.”
Melisa also called on to Siloam Sriwijaya Hospital to take the matter seriously and uphold the hospital’s “good track record.” Separately, the husband and wife have apologized for causing public disturbance due to the assault.
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