Programme director and Director-General of Health
Deputy Minister of Health Dr Gwen Ramokgopa
MEC present
HODs
Nurses
Distinguished guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
It is indeed a great source of inspiration to be here this afternoon to address you as we conclude our three-day national summit.
Undoubtedly, this has been a very engaging three days for us and the energy; passion and commitment displayed by all the delegates have been more than encouraging. I feel confident to declare that this has been a fruitful and ground-breaking gathering.
You will recall that in his opening address on Tuesday morning our President, President Jacob Zuma talked about the importance of nursing as a backbone of healthcare delivery not only in our country but the world over. In his speech, the President threw down the gauntlet for all of us to work hard in restoring the pride and dignity of the nursing profession in our country. The deliberations of the past three days have but given me a clear indication that indeed, as we go back we will direct all our energy, commitment and passion towards carrying out the President’s instruction of getting nursing profession back to its basics.
The whole country will be watching us very closely to see if we translate our statements and commitments into reality. Failing them (our nation) is not an option in this regard.
I am glad to announce that after three days of intensive discussions and intense debates, we have a product that we call the Nursing Compact and Roadmap which should and will guide us in this crucial journey of taking the nursing profession back to where it belongs. It is also crucial and highly symbolic that this Compact and Roadmap is adopted on the day we join the rest of the world in marking World Health Day today. Access to quality healthcare is a universal right and we are glad that in marking this important day, we are also able to say to South Africans we are committing ourselves to improving the way in which we deliver healthcare for all.
Nursing is about caring, love and compassion. Nurses the world over are the key contact points between the patient and the healthcare system in general.
As we depart to our various destinations this afternoon, I remain optimistic and in fact confident that South Africans should now expect to see a difference in the way in which we do things in our hospitals in particular. You will also remember that as we work on addressing the challenges in the nursing sector, we are also working on improving the machinery and architecture of healthcare delivery as reflected in the Bill on Office of Healthcare Standards Compliance.
I pledge here in front of you that myself, Deputy Minister MECs, Director-General and Head of Departmnts (HODs) of health that we spare no effort in ensuring that we implement the outcomes of this summit and work together with you to restore the dignity of the nursing profession and we make a significant contribution to ensuring that South Africans live a long and healthy life.
Thank you very much.
Source: Department of Health
