Nurse evicted for selling beer at hospital premises

A nurse stationed at Mnene Mission Hospital in Mberengwa has been evicted from the hospital quarters for allegedly running a shebeen at her residence.

Mr Boulus Chirihuru, who is believed to have been selling beer to patients and hospital staff, was found with various brands, including opaque beer at his apartment.

Mnene Mission Hospital is a Lutheran Church-run health institution and does not allow employees to sell beer within its premises.

Sources who spoke to Chronicle said a hospital committee evicted Mr Chirihuru following an inspection.

"The committee led by the local church pastor, Luckson Magwizi has been doing routine checks within the hospital quarters after realising that most members of staff, including the hospital matron, Mrs Diana Jere Chauke, have been operating secret shebeens within the hospital premises.

"The committee then went and  searched Mr Chirihuru's apartment and found lots of various beer brands stocked in his house resulting in his eviction," said the source.

The source said Mr Chirihuru's property was by yesterday still in the open following the eviction.

"It is raining in Mberengwa and his property has been soaked by the rains,  as we speak. Most people are afraid to assist him as they fear that the hospital management would victimise them," said the source.

The source said the hospital authorities also noted that there were many other people besides Mr Chirihuru operating shebeens within the hospital premises.

"The hospital matron, Mrs Chauke, who is also running her secret shebeen, was the one who influenced the eviction of Mr Chirihuru because she feared competition. She also runs a canteen where she is forcing the hospital staff to have tea at her house for a fee," said the source.

The source said Mrs Chauke has since banned nurses from going for tea breaks while insisting that members of staff should have tea at work.

"Her house is just close to the patients' wards and what she has done is to introduce some stringent laws like banning members of staff from going for tea breaks at their houses so that they buy tea from her. We tried to question the idea and appealed to the church management, but nothing has materialised," said the source.

The source said those nurses who would have defied the directive by going for tea at their houses would have a day off deducted from their accruing leave days.

"We are being treated like slaves at Mnene Mission Hospital and I do not think the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare is aware of this.

"We have got a right to tea breaks, but we are being denied that. We are also not allowed to use cellphones at work," fumed another nurse.

Mrs Chauke denied that she was running a shebeen at the hospital when contacted for comment. She said it was actually her children who were operating a beer hall outside the hospital premises.

"It is not true that I am running a shebeen within the hospital premises. I do not drink beer myself and my children are the ones who are operating a beer hall some miles away and I do not think this is a crime," she said.