TWO Namibian trainee nurses are facing disciplinary action after they posted a video on TikTok of themselves dancing inside a health clinic.
The two said they were celebrating after helping a patient successfully deliver a baby, local media report.
Privately owned Welwitchia Health Training Centre said the dancing was “unacceptable behaviour” and summoned them before a disciplinary panel.
The main students’ union in Namibia has called for a fair hearing.
Charmaine Keandra and Smart Muranda are seen in their nursing uniforms dancing in front of an empty patient bed.
The Namibian newspaper reported the video was recorded two weeks ago in the health centre.
“The patient was taken to the theatre, was operated on, and the baby was fine, and she [the mother], was also fine. After that, because we were happy, we decided to make a TikTok video,” one of the students told the newspaper.
The video, which has attracted hundreds of comments and been widely shared, has now been deleted by the student who posted it.
In its letter, the Welwitchia health centre accused the two trainees of disobeying the student code of conduct and bringing the good name of the institution into disrepute.
The Student Union of Namibia (Sun) has, however, accused the health institution of double standards, saying previously “nurses were seen on various platforms dancing Jerusalem challenge but none was dismissed”.
“Our understanding is that a happy nurse is a productive nurse, regardless of the code of conduct of the university,” Sun president Benhard Kavau told the BBC.
He said the two students should just be warned and informed about when to take videos, rather than being suspended.
“The union is ready, should our demand not be considered, to litigate,” Mr Kavau added.
The students were appearing before the disciplinary committee on Friday, according to the union’s leader.