News / Health
'Homophobia and corruption' lead to student nurse suicide
23 Dec 2011 at 06:11hrs | Views
Mandlenkosi Ndlovu (38), a third year student nurse at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo apparently committed suicide on Wednesday morning by jumping from the roof of a three-storey building at the hospital. According to suicide notes he left behind, he was protesting that he had been made to fail examinations twice, in June and November because he was gay.
Ndlovu also claimed that there was a well-oiled syndicate at the hospital which leaked nursing examination papers to students for a $600 fee.In one of the notes, he named five senior officials at Mpilo whom he accused of co-ordinating the examination leakage scam.
Ndlovu reportedly spent more than two hours writhing in agony while doctors battled in vain to save his life."His left wrist was broken. He seemed to have suffered multiple fractures all over the body. He could not move. He kept moaning in pain. At first I thought he had been the victim of a particularly brutal beating," said the source.
An official at the hospital said the police were called while he was rushed for an emergency scan to determine the extent of his injuries.
"The police established that he had jumped from the roof of the library while an X-Ray revealed that he had three broken ribs. He was also bleeding internally. Unfortunately, he died before he could be taken to theatre. His was a drawn out and agonising death," said the official.
In one of the suicide notes, dated 20 December, Ndlovu requested the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe to remark his examination scripts because he believed he had been unfairly made to fail.
He wrote a second letter to the council in which he named five senior officials (names withheld), whom he alleged co-ordinated the examination leakage scam.
"The papers are sold for $600 and delivered three days before examinations, depending on the agent. All this happens without direct involvement of the school of nursing," wrote Ndlovu.
He also wrote that he could not buy the papers for his two sittings because it was against his religious ethics.
Ndlovu was described by friends as a "devout Catholic".
"I feel I need not cheat because as a qualified personnel, I would be dangerous with human life," he wrote.
Ndlovu alleged that all the students in intake group C2008 and A2009 bought the examination papers.
In another note, he asked a close friend to forgive him for taking his own life.
He begged the friend to look after his brother's children.
Ndlovu wrote another note, asking the police to make everything that he had written public.
"Police force, please do not hide any information I wrote here. I died because of corruption at nurses' council and their agents at Mpilo," read the note.
Friends said he threatened to take his life last week, alleging that authorities at the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe were making him fail because they had received information that he was gay.
The hospital's clinical director, Dr Wedu Ndebele, declined to comment, saying the matter had not yet been brought to his attention.
"I cannot speak on the issue because I have not been briefed about it. I am yet to see a report on the matter," said Dr Ndebele.
Ndlovu also claimed that there was a well-oiled syndicate at the hospital which leaked nursing examination papers to students for a $600 fee.In one of the notes, he named five senior officials at Mpilo whom he accused of co-ordinating the examination leakage scam.
Ndlovu reportedly spent more than two hours writhing in agony while doctors battled in vain to save his life."His left wrist was broken. He seemed to have suffered multiple fractures all over the body. He could not move. He kept moaning in pain. At first I thought he had been the victim of a particularly brutal beating," said the source.
An official at the hospital said the police were called while he was rushed for an emergency scan to determine the extent of his injuries.
"The police established that he had jumped from the roof of the library while an X-Ray revealed that he had three broken ribs. He was also bleeding internally. Unfortunately, he died before he could be taken to theatre. His was a drawn out and agonising death," said the official.
In one of the suicide notes, dated 20 December, Ndlovu requested the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe to remark his examination scripts because he believed he had been unfairly made to fail.
He wrote a second letter to the council in which he named five senior officials (names withheld), whom he alleged co-ordinated the examination leakage scam.
"The papers are sold for $600 and delivered three days before examinations, depending on the agent. All this happens without direct involvement of the school of nursing," wrote Ndlovu.
He also wrote that he could not buy the papers for his two sittings because it was against his religious ethics.
"I feel I need not cheat because as a qualified personnel, I would be dangerous with human life," he wrote.
Ndlovu alleged that all the students in intake group C2008 and A2009 bought the examination papers.
In another note, he asked a close friend to forgive him for taking his own life.
He begged the friend to look after his brother's children.
Ndlovu wrote another note, asking the police to make everything that he had written public.
"Police force, please do not hide any information I wrote here. I died because of corruption at nurses' council and their agents at Mpilo," read the note.
Friends said he threatened to take his life last week, alleging that authorities at the Nurses Council of Zimbabwe were making him fail because they had received information that he was gay.
The hospital's clinical director, Dr Wedu Ndebele, declined to comment, saying the matter had not yet been brought to his attention.
"I cannot speak on the issue because I have not been briefed about it. I am yet to see a report on the matter," said Dr Ndebele.
Source - TH
