Things at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) can get a little unruly sometimes with patients suffering from severe mental illness, but one former nurse went too far when he turned one of them into a human punching bag.
Myanmar national Aung Phyo Thu has since been sentenced to a year in jail for assaulting a patient, to the point that the 56-year-old suffered rib fractures, Channel NewsAsia reports.
On Feb 17 last year, the 26-year-old was on duty and had been handling the long-term patient of IMH, who caused a commotion by trying to get out of bed while strapped to it. The patient is understood to be suffering from schizophrenia and a load of other illnesses, including diabetes, mixed connective tissue diseas and a history of seizures.
For causing the uproar, Thu covered the patient’s head with a blanket, pinned him down and punched the victim’s back, head and ribs multiple times. When the injuries were later discovered by a ward supervisor, Thu said that they were “self-inflicted”.
Doctors who examined the patient, however, confirmed that he had suffered from two rib fractures, in addition to some bruising.
In court, Thu’s lawyer argued that the patient was classified as “dangerous and aggressive” for his past behaviour towards staff and other patients. According to him, Thu believed that the victim was about to attack a fellow patient, and the assault was just a momentary lapse of self-control.
IMH is said to be seeking $80,000 in damages as Thu broke his six-year bond with the institute — he came to Singapore in 2009 on their scholarship to study nursing at Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
