12 May 2007, Bonalesedi Nursing College, Kagiso
It is a privilege for me to be among extraordinary people like you. Today is truly a very special day for very special people. You are special not only to the Gauteng Department of Health, but also to all the grateful families you have nursed their loved ones back to good health for - even under difficult and bleak conditions at times.
Nurses are the links that connect government to the people in our communities. You care for people and you help them recover. You ease their pain, prevent disease and minimise risk. No one can dispute that yours is not an easy task, and we appreciate your devotion. We salute you!
Currently the nursing profession is faced with a number of challenges. These include the shortage of staff, and that is caused by a number of factors - one being the education difficulties faced at school level. One of the requirements for an individual to be accepted as a trainee nurse is to obtain symbol E (higher grade) in Biology and symbol D (HG) in English in grade 12. In a country with our oppressive history these grades remain extremely difficult for many people to attain.
We are also losing nurses to the more lucrative opportunities in the private sector, countries such as the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia, but also to other secondary areas within our health care system.
I am pleased to announce that we have decided to reopen some of the colleges currently not in operation. This will allow us to produce more nurses in shorter periods. In Gauteng we have committed ourselves to doubling the number of nurses entering the profession over the medium term framework. We will be doing so at a rate of 20% per year and have already exceeded our initial targets.
Plans are also underway to reopen Coronation Nursing College as a campus of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital's Nursing College.
Our department has also embarked on marketing programmes aimed at encouraging more people to choose nursing as a career. We have participated in career exhibitions and made presentations at different high schools. We are optimistic that all these interventions will increase the number of people choosing this noble career.
One of our recent milestones has been the establishment of an accreditation system for nursing colleges. Although they have always been accredited by the nursing council, the department didn't set standards. By this we are taking more accountability as government, and are certain it will improve the quality of heath services.
It is widely known that a large percentage of our clients' complaints relate to incidents of ill treatment by nurses. Some of these incidents are not true, but some are. We have devised a number of interventions such as the Best Practice Programme based on the Batho Pele principles and the Nurses' Management Forum. It is crucial for all of us to understand that the people we serve have rights to excellent service and other human rights. I urge all of us to revisit the time when nursing was referred to as a "noble profession." It was a time when women and men embarked on a nursing career in a spirit of community service and commitment to serving the interests of the ill and the weak in our society. Sadly this spirit of community participation has largely been lost upon the current generation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As government we acknowledge that we have to take a serious look at the salaries of nurses and I can give you the assurance that it is currently receiving attention at the highest level.
We also need to find ground-breaking ways in making the profession more attractive through a wide range of service conditions that should be regularly improved and adapted to suit the changing needs of the people in the profession.
Working conditions for nurses must also be improved by for example ensuring adequate rest and recreation facilities, clean washrooms, safer working environments and a reduction in the workload.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In a nutshell we need to recruit more nurses into the profession - and ensure that those we recruit are of sufficient quality; provide them with adequate training; retain their skills and experience; provide them with a sufficient career path to enable them to remain in the profession and to bring back those experienced and skilled nurses who have left the system.
It is imperative to make certain that we have qualified and competent educators who can train new recruits thus improving the quality of their service conditions.
General health challenges affect the nursing profession enormously. To deal with some of the problems, last month we launched the Quality Health Care for all Campaign for the people of Gauteng. This campaign will focus on the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the modification of high-risk behaviour such as unsafe sexual practices or the abuse of alcohol, tobacco and drugs. Addressing these will alleviate the existing pressures on an over-burdened nursing profession, as many people will not be coming to clinics and hospitals for the treatment of illnesses resulting from bad health habits.
Finally, let me reiterate our gratitude to all the nurses of South Africa. You indeed are the backbone of health care delivery in our country.
I thank you.