M Tshabalala-Msimang: inaugural nurses graduation ceremony

15 September 2006

Programme Director,
MEC for Health,
Head of Health,
Chairperson of the College Council,
Principals of the College of Nursing and campuses,
Diplomates,
Parents, spouses, partners, children, family and friends of the
diplomates,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentleman,

I feel very honoured and privileged to address you on this auspicious
occasion, the first graduation ceremony of the unified KwaZulu-Natal College of
Nursing.

This ceremony is a solemn occasion as the graduates have to commit
themselves to the service of humanity. It is also a jubilant event as the
special guests of honour have attained their objectives. After very hard work
and dedication, we have a reason as South Africans to join those who are
graduating today in celebrating this day.

It is always pleasing to witness the injection of yet another group of young
nurses into the health service and an improvement in national statistics which
will translate into improved quality of care as well as more accessibility to
health care, especially in underserved areas.

I am told that the unified college of KwaZulu-Natal will be graduating a
total of 2 900 nurses this year. I understand that because of large numbers,
some of the nurses will be graduating on 10 October 2006 in Durban.

May I take this opportunity to congratulate the leadership of this sector
for having had the vision to increase the number of nurses in training.

I also wish to thank the leadership of the college for making sure that
correct procedures were followed in order to have your college accredited by
the South African Nursing Council (SANC). I am also mindful of the fact that
nursing is a theoretical and practical profession and without the support and
dedication of the nurses in the clinical area, your dreams of increasing the
numbers would not have been achieved.

The graduation today is the beginning of another chapter in your lives. You
are now responsible for your acts and omissions as dictated by your scope of
practice.

In addition to your clinical and theoretical knowledge, nurses are expected
to possess the following attributes:

* good communication skills
* caring and compassionate ethos
* commitment, loyalty and support for the community and colleagues.

You are expected be there when needed most.

As you provide health care within the holistic model, i.e. preventive,
promotive, curative and rehabilitative elements remember that your
professionalism is a priority in providing an appropriate health service.
Continuing professional development and service provision cannot occur in a
vacuum. You should understand the environment of the practice of health care as
nurses working within a multi-disciplinary team. Nurses cannot do it alone and
neither can the other health professionals.

As government we are making efforts to ensure that the nursing profession in
this country is taken care of. The President in his State of the Nation Address
a year ago declared that institutions of higher learning and colleges should
increase their intakes of student nurses.

The President has also recently signed the Nursing Bill into law. The
Nursing Act (Act No. 33 of 2005) states that the safety of the public is
paramount. As such, nurses should be properly prepared in their education and
training in order to provide quality and safe nursing care. The curriculum
should respond to the needs of the community and be aligned to national health
priorities.

Another major aspect of the Nursing Act will be the introduction of
community service for nurses. We shall be publishing the regulations very soon
for public comment. I encourage you to submit your comments in this regard. You
must be active and take the lead on matters concerning nursing.

We launched the Human Resources (HR) for health plan on 7 April 2006, which
was the World Health Day. We are going a step further into developing a
strategy for nursing in South Africa. The strategy will provide an overall
framework of the interventions that are necessary to deal with the challenges
of supply, distribution and retention of nurses.

Ladies and gentlemen, there are 198 000 nurses registered with the SANC and
eligible to practise the profession. This alone warrants a specific focus on a
strategy for nursing. Nurses play a unique role in the delivery of health
services. They carry the responsibility of bringing health services to
communities from primary health care (PHC) to tertiary and quaternary health
care (QHC) level. Any shortage experienced in this professional cadre
negatively impacts on access and the quality of health care that is enshrined
in the country's constitution.

Our country needs more supply of skills to sustain and enhance our
development. We believe, as government, that the training particularly of our
young people is critical if we are to achieve our goal of a better life for
all. Hence government is making deliberate efforts to intensify education and
training programmes.

You are part of the millions of young people of South Africa who make us
proud and confident about the future of our nation. Through various surveys,
young people have said that they believe there is a great future for them in
South Africa. They say that the period in which they live is much better than
the era in which their parents grew up. They believe they have a much better
opportunity to live a better life and have a bright future in this country.

I am confident that you will make your mark within this group of young South
African patriots by serving our people with dignity and respect. Your skills as
nurses will contribute significantly in our country's efforts to promote good
health and manage various diseases affecting our community.

I wish you all the best in your careers.

Thank you!

Issued by: Department of Health
15 September 2006
Source: Department of Health (http://www.doh.gov.za/)