Assunta Hospital employees staged a picket today demanding that the hospital's management withdraw a police report against two nurses.

The two, who were held responsible for the theft of a patient's handphone worth RM150, along with more than 30 other hospital staff also demanded an apology from the hospital's management.

NONE Nurses Tan May Nie ( on left of photo with Khong next to her ) and Khong Mei Shan, both 23, held up signs that read, among others, "Assunta don't victimise staff" and "Don't humiliate workers". They were accompanied by over 30 other hospital staff.

Several signs called on motorists near the Assunta roundabout to honk their horns to show support.

Tan and Khong were working on July 28 - the day the patient's belongings went missing - with the latter holding a master key, giving access to every patient's room in the ward.

 Questions over questioning

According to the Union of Employees of Private Medical and Health Services secretary M Krishnan, the handphone was later found in a room near the patient's after a search by security personnel.

T NONE he hospital's human resources department director took the two nurses to the SEA Park police station for questioning on Aug 10.

Tan voiced her dissatisfaction over the way that the hospital management had treated them.

"Why were only a few of us brought to the police station for questioning? Why wasn't everyone on duty that night questioned as well?

"Also, why were we brought to SEA Park police station instead of the PJ headquarters?" Tan told reporters near the hospital.

Subsequently, on Aug 13 the two nurses lodged a police report at Petaling Jaya police station and sent a legal notice containing their demands to the management as well.

Assunta Hospital's acting chief executive officer Chong Yee Mun told reporters that the management did not see any need for an apology as it had followed set procedures.

"It's very normal to lodge a police report in such cases," said Chong.

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