Nursing in South Africa continues to be plagued by many challenges such as training; ethos and standards; professionalism; attitude and staffing norms despite it being the backbone of healthcare systems around the world. This was said by Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi when outlining what he expects to be the outcome of the Nursing Summit to be held in Sandton, Johannesburg next week.
The summit, which the Health Minister has dubbed the "CODESA of nursing in South Africa”, will be attended by a range of stakeholders which include retired nurses, student nurses, nurses from public and private sectors, nurses unions, regulatory bodies such as South Africa Nursing Council, International Council of Nursing and World Health Organisation among others. The summit will be addressed by President Jacob Zuma.
Seven (7) commissions will be established at the summit to deal with a number of key issues affecting nursing in South Africa:
- Commission 1: Nursing education and training
- Commission 2: Nursing practice
- Commission 3: Leadership, governance, policy and legislation
- Commission 4: Ethical and value system
- Commission 5: Planning, infrastructure, financing and resourcing nursing
- Commission 6: Creating an enabling environment for Nursing
- Commission 7: The role of the nurse in the improvement of health outcomes.
Feedback from these commissions and subsequent discussions will be consolidated into a National Nursing Compact and Roadmap which will guide nursing in South Africa. "Together with the nursing profession, we have decided to convene this ground breaking summit to respond the many challenges facing us. We believe in solutions by nurses themselves, while not abdicating our primary role of providing leadership in the health sector," said the health Minister speaking from Washington where he is currently attending a series of healthcare delivery meetings.
The three (3) days per-invitation-only summit is scheduled to take place as follows:
Date: 4 to 7 April 2011
Venue: Sandton Convention Centre
Note to media: a detailed media advisory will be sent out to media once the programme has been finalised by the organising committee.
Enquiries:
Fidel Hadebe
Tel: 012 395 8494
Cell: 079 517 3333
