More nurses to be trained
30-AUG-05
Addressing a one-day conference of retired nurses in Boksburg, on the East Rand today, she said the National Health Council (Minister and MECs for Health) had resolved that the department should increase the number of nurses on training.
"Some of the measures that should be taken in this regard include reintroducing the training of enrolled nurses in the current nursing colleges. This category of nurses should bring a lot of relief to professional nurses who are currently overstretched," said the Minister.
Her spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said the training of this "lower category" of nurses would certainly increase the number of nurses, to support the provision of health services in the country.
According to the department, there has only been a growth of 831 enrolled nurses in the country for the period 1998 to 2003, as reflected on the SA Nursing Council's register.
In its Strategic Framework for the Human Resources for Health Plan, the department says the growth trend over the six years in the register and roll of nurses is of serious concern, as the growth is not keeping with the population growth.
The minister said the government would therefore reopen some of the nursing colleges that were closed down in the past to improve the training output.
The department is to release details later regarding which and when these colleges will be opened, as it is drafting a National Human Resource Plan to provide a platform and framework to address some of the challenges.
Dr Tshabalala-Msimang said cutting back on training and closure of these nursing colleges, led to the academics leaving.
"Our efforts are therefore to also recruit back to the service, tutors and clinical facilitators," she explained.
As part of the measures, the minister is meeting South Africa's nurses working in Britain this weekend to discuss the possibility of their return to South Africa's public health sector.
According to Mr Mngadi, the nurses requested the meeting with the Minister and expressed their willingness to come back.
"I am also aware that there is an increasing number of those who left for the private health sector who wish to rejoin the public health sector," the minister said.
Government, she said, had to ensure that there were no obstacles to their return. "I am confident that we will succeed in bringing back home our own."
Meanwhile, the department tabled the Nursing Bill before Parliament last week. The bill is set to among others, introduce community service for nurses.
The department believes community service for nurses would contribute significantly to the efforts to ensure equitable distribution of nurses to meet the health needs of the country.
The Bill also seeks to align nursing education to the mainstream of education by related programmes to be registered through the National Qualification Framework.
This should streamline career development programmes within the nursing profession.
"Provision of health services is a labour intensive activity and we therefore have to ensure that there is a sound Human Resources Plan for Health in the country. We need to have a particular focus on the nursing profession, as it constitutes a very critical component of the health personnel," the Minister said.
She made a special appeal to retired nurses to support the department in promoting caring ethos and maintaining high level of professional conduct within the nursing profession.
By Veronica Mohapeloa - BuaNews
