By Simon Nare
President Cyril Ramaphosa has appealed to the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) to get to the bottom of why the country’s nurses are being recruited out of the country, which is depleting the number of nurses.
Addressing the DENOSA’s 9th congress in Boksburg in Ekurhuleni on Tuesday, Ramaphosa said he was encouraged that this matter would be discussed by the union.
“You need to discuss how we deal with the spectrum of recruitment that is taking place amongst those of your profession to other countries. Is it money?” asked the president to which the congress responded with a roaring yes.
The president said there was a time when others argued that nurses should be allowed to leave the country and earn foreign currency, but they were leaving in droves.
Ramaphosa also said he was encouraged that delegates would deliberate on accreditation for nurses.
While it was encouraging to see more new nursing registrations with the South African Nursing Council, there was a decline in training numbers.
“This decline cannot be simply explained by less people seeing nursing as an attractive career, but that factors such as accreditation delays also play a part in all this. And I don’t know why the accreditation process is taking so long with so many of you wanting to be part of your profession.
‘Now I welcome the fact that this is one of the issues under discussion at this congress. I am hoping that you are going to come out with an answer or a solution,” he said.
The president said the union should ensure that the training and capacity-building efforts underway in support of its members aligned with community needs as well as with the evolution of diseases.
He encouraged delegates to be more engaged in policy development efforts and ensure that as new policies emerged, the nursing profession made inputs. It also must consider the impact on new policies on its members.
“The support of Denosa will be pivotal as we prepare for National Health Insurance. The passage of the NHI Act was a milestone in our ongoing quest for a more just society, where one’s ability to access quality healthcare and services is not determined by where one comes from or one’s ability to pay,” he said.
Ramaphosa said nurses would be the backbone of the NHI. The right to dignity mattered the most when people were sick because that was when they needed help and were at their most vulnerable.
He urged Denosa to be at the forefront of discussions around upskilling and training, strengthening health systems and other crucial matters.
“Beyond preparation for NHI, the nursing profession faces emerging challenges. Many of these [are] on the congress agenda, such as litigation against nurses and the growing trend of undocumented patients from neighbouring countries seeking treatment in South African public health facilities,” the president said.
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