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Nurses becoming an endangered species: Manto
by SAPA
2001-03-29

The alarming rate at which South African nurses were being poached to work abroad was turning them into an endangered species, Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Wednesday. Between 1995 and 1999, 2 543 registered nurses requested that their qualifications be verified, which they needed to go abroad, she said in a speech read on her behalf at the national congress of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) in Pretoria. The minister said the World Health Organisation recommended that developing countries should have one registered nurse for every 500 people. In South Africa, the ratio was just under one to 450, which was better than that of the UK. But nurses were not equally distributed in the country, with the bulk located in urban areas, she said. Some congress delegates again demurred audibly, claiming that if they were paid well enough, it would not be necessary for them to seek more lucrative employment outside the public sector or to moonlight to supplement their income. Tshabalala-Msimang said it was found that there were no uniformly applied staffing ratios in health facilities. A task team was busy calculating the personnel needs, based on the population estimates in each of the nine provinces. (Source: SAPA, 28 March 2001)

The alarming rate at which South African nurses were being poached to work abroad was turning them into an endangered species, Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Wednesday. Between 1995 and 1999, 2 543 registered nurses requested that their qualifications be verified, which they needed to go abroad, she said in a speech read on her behalf at the national congress of the Democratic Nursing Organisation of SA (Denosa) in Pretoria.

Nurses are being lured in great numbers by tax-free earnings in Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and others. The cream of the profession was mainly targeted, the minister said. South Africa is thus training health personnel at tremendous cost for the benefit of wealthy first-world countries. Our young democracy is thus deprived of the services of the best health professionals, at a time when it needs them most. South Africa cannot afford to use tax payers' money to educate health workers for the benefit of other countries. This exodus needs to be halted somehow, before it is too late. Tshabalala-Msimang said the Constitution gave every South African the right to free movement.

Nevertheless, positive mechanisms needed to be put in place for the nursing profession to regain its former popularity. At the same time, she questioned assertions that South Africa had a shortage of nurses. Her words were met with an outcry from Denosa members attending the conference, some of whom interjected that they were overstretched and underpaid.

The minister said the World Health Organisation recommended that developing countries should have one registered nurse for every 500 people. In South Africa, the ratio was just under one to 450, which was better than that of the UK. But nurses were not equally distributed in the country, with the bulk located in urban areas, she said. If the movement of people was easy to manipulate, the problem would be easy to address, by simply coaxing redistribution to rural under-served areas, or to some busy academic centres which equally suffer staff shortages due to migration to the private sector, and moonlighting to the detriment of public sector health facilities.

Some congress delegates again demurred audibly, claiming that if they were paid well enough, it would not be necessary for them to seek more lucrative employment outside the public sector or to moonlight to supplement their income. Denosa president Professor Philda Nzimande called on delegates to submit their questions to the minister to the organisation's leadership, so they could be put to her during Denosa's monthly meetings with her. Tshabalala-Msimang said it was found that there were no uniformly applied staffing ratios in health facilities. A task team was busy calculating the personnel needs, based on the population estimates in each of the nine provinces. The newly established chief directorate for health and welfare sector negotiations would probably result in some relief for nurses and other healthcare professionals, she said.

That could help attract student nurses and retain those already in the profession. We know the working conditions are not always the best, but you are trying your best, Tshabalala-Msimang said. Denosa vice-president Mary Maleko said she hoped nurses' conditions of service would match their best efforts. The other vice-president, Nontsha Nciza, said the status of nurses was often undermined. Their credibility suffered as a consequence. This was to the detriment of the entire population.

Nciza, who is also member for health of the East Rand metro's mayoral committee, called for greater participation by nurses in management and policy-formulating. Doctors could not manage the healthcare system on their own. That meant the equality principle was undermined. We need to ensure that nurses get the authority they deserve... Nurses are mostly the implementers of policy, but they are left out when policy is being formulated, she said.

Source: SAPA, 28 March 2001

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