DENOSA concerned with nurse shortages

Athenkosi Mvane

16 May 2013

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa said the shortage of nurses is still a very serious problem in the country. 

Denosa said the problem is that many students who have completed nursing and community service long ago are sitting at home, because most provincial departments have not planned and budgeted for their placement in jobs. 

In the Free State, for example, out of close to 350 nurses who completed their community service in 2012, no more than 49 of them were placed in health centres due to budget shortages.

Denosa’s Spokesperson Sibongiseni Delihlazo said the nurse shortage issue will not take the country anywhere, because should there be enough healthcare workers then the priority of giving quality healthcare to patients will be realised.

“There is a difference between quality healthcare and just healthcare; if you have enough resources at out healthcare facilities both financial and human resource, then the quality of healthcare will be would have superseded where it is now” Delihlazo added.