Nurse Escapes Jail for faking HIV Results
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Nurse Escapes Jail for faking HIV Results

A GOKWE nurse who connived with a health NGO worker employed by Global Fund to fake results of an HIV test in favour of the nurse’s husband on Tuesday was lucky to escape jail after she was handed a non-custodial sentence.

The state’s case was that Angela Chipere of Valley stands, who is employed by the international health NGO and Shamiso Punzwana, a nurse at Gokwe District hospital, allegedly connived resulting in Chipere producing a fake record of negative HIV results without carrying proper tests on Punzwana’s husband.

The husband wanted to secure employment using the same results.

Gokwe magistrate, Shepherd Mnjanja, separately charged the duo and initially sentenced Punzwana to 18 months in prison before suspending six months for five years on condition of good behaviour.

A further 12 months were suspended on condition Punzwana completes 420 hours of community service at the Gokwe magistrates’ courts.

Chipere is yet to be sentenced.

The co-accused, who were working at the same institution at the time were facing charges of criminal abuse of duty as public officers.

Prosecutor Tinei Tirigo told the court that on the 16th of April 2014 and at around 8 am at the local hospital, Punzwana approached Chipere requesting her to issue HIV test results in favour of her husband, Tawanda Muhenyeri. Punzwana indicated to Chipere that her husband wanted to secure a job at a certain cotton company which required negative HIV results.

The state further alleges that Chipere went on to produce a document bearing ‘negative’ in terms of results in favour of Muhenyeri without carrying proper HIV tests.

The endorsed results however belonged to Mujeyi Bongwani who had also been tested on the same day.

On the 27th October, detectives received information on the accused persons’ conduct leading to their subsequent arrest.

 

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