Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health in Sedibeng District Municipality, Clr Maipato Tsokolibane
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Health in Midvaal Local Municipality, Clr Clifford Hartman
Councillors present
Senior Managers from the Gauteng Department of Health
Principals of Nursing Colleges
Nursing Managers from Hospitals and Clinics across Gauteng
Leaders of Denosa and other Labour Organisations
Representatives of the Nursing Council
Principals of Nursing Colleges
Chairpersons of Hospital Boards
Our very distinguished guests, the Nurses
This is the first celebration of International Nurses Day, I am attending since my deployment as the MEC for Health and Social Development in November last year.
Traditionally the day is observed on 12 May. However due to pressures of not wanting to disrupt service delivery at our health facilities, we resolved to hold it today as it coincides with Mothers Day.
It is actually no coincidence because nurses epitomise the nurturing qualities which mothers are renowned for.
As we celebrate this day we are also mindful of our first South African black nurse Cecilia Makiwane, and stalwarts such as Adelaide Tambo and Albertina Sisulu.
As it has been stated this year’s theme is 'Increasing Access and Equity'. This theme is specifically relevant for South Africa as a developing country as we transform our health care services to ensure increased access in communities and addressing inequalities of the past.
Last month, our Honourable Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi held a highly successful Nurses Summit to engage nurses around this very issue.
His message was clear: South Africa has less than one percent of the world’s population, but carries 17% of the burden of disease.
Life expectancy for South Africans is 20 years less than that of Cubans. In order to fight this burden of disease, a much greater preventative and promotive effort must be launched to fight HIV and AIDS and TB, maternal and infant mortality, non communicable diseases and trauma and violence in our society.
Many young people today are looking for sociable hours, independence, and high salaries. Nursing used to be regarded as a vocation. A Nurse’s life is never boring – there are challenges all the time.
We recognise the valuable contribution and dedication shown by many nurses in Gauteng. Our nurses are some of the best trained in the world and are sought be many countries for their skills.
I therefore take this opportunity to salute the majority of nurses who resisted the temptation to leave our country and seek greener pastures in developed countries such as the UK, Canada, and Saudi Arabia.
Your decision to remain in South Africa and in the public sector in particular deserves praise. This was patriotism at its highest level!
We are aware of the challenge of shortage of nurses in our country. To address the shortage we need to recruit and retain our nurses as valuable national assets. Society today honours nurses as the backbone of the health services.
The science of nursing requires that nurses keep abreast of new developments to remain competent. Nursing training must strive to be relevant to the needs of communities and the burden of disease in our province.
In our commitment, we need competent leadership in nursing to ensure that new nurses are mentored by experienced professionals in the District Health System.
Working with nurses, we can collectively address prevention of disease of specifically HIV and AIDS, TB, and mother and child mortality towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the World Health Organisation and the UN.
There also needs to be greater accountability of the community we serve through participation of communities in clinic committees and hospital boards. This will ensure that our communities take responsibility for their health through living healthy lifestyles through eating correctly and exercising.
Programme director,
Shortage of nurses in our province impacts negatively on provision of quality healthcare.
We also experience a critical shortage of specialised nurses, in Critical Care units, Trauma and Emergency Nursing, Operating Theatres and Primary Health Care.
This has resulted in having to train larger numbers of nurses in all categories to ensure that adequate numbers of qualified auxiliary, enrolled, and professional, and specialist (post-basic) nurses to meet the demand for quality patient caredelivery.
Employment of retired nurses has proved useful in mentoring many newly qualified nurses both in hospitals and clinics.
They are experienced nurses of all levels and have responded to the call to assist. We salute them as well!
We also need to look at appropriate levels and ratios of nurses to patients to ensure that we prepare for the National Health Insurance (NHI). This entails that we focus on the six priority standards of cleanliness, waiting times, medicine supply and infection control.
As South African nurses you walk on the footsteps of Cecilia Makiwane, Adelaide Tambo, Albertina Sisulu and many others. They put the interests of patients first.
They were easily identifiable as nurses because of how they conducted themselves while at work and also in the community.
It is your responsibility, therefore, to restore the glory and dignity of the profession. In fact nursing is more than a career. Nursing is a vocation!
I look forward to an era when complaints about nurses being rude to patients will become a thing of the past in Gauteng. Nurses who are employed to work in public health facilities must make a choice whether they want to remain in the public health sector or they want to moonlight.
This practice of Moonlighting results in nurses not giving their best when on duty in public health facilities. This in turn results in serious adverse events.
I always ask myself, why do nurses transform themselves into professionals and good natured health professionals when moonlighting in private health facilities, and yet do the opposite in public health facilities?
It is only at public health facilities that nurses take tea and lunch breaks at the same time, leaving patients unattended!
Government has tried its best to meet some of you half way through the OSD; therefore we expect no half measures from the nursing profession.
I take this opportunity to remind all of you that when our people come to our facilities they are at their most vulnerable state, therefore they need to be treated with utmost dignity and respect.
No patient should be turned away at any facility without having been assessed, even if they do not reside in that catchment area, or have presented themselves at an inappropriate level of care!
In 2009 my predecessor issued out an instruction that doctors should wear lab-coats when on duty, in order for them to be identified as doctors.
In the same vein, I expect nurses in Gauteng to wear their uniform and name tags with pride. The days of a variety of uniforms are over. We have decided that nurses shall wear the same uniform.
I call upon all of you to reinforce Florence Nightingale’s strong values of hard work, knowledge, competence, and discipline.
These values influenced her work throughout her life. She promoted the importance of the nurse's integrity and fought for health care for people regardless of faith or economic background.
Her vision completely changed society's approach to nursing. In order for nurses to engage our communities, the entire profession needs to embody the values and vision upheld by Florence Nightingale.
Your exemplary professional conduct will contribute to attracting new recruits who will be dedicated to the service of humanity. I have confidence that the majority of you subscribe to these values.
I have seen with my own eyes the dedication that has been shown by the majority of you. I therefore call upon you not to allow a minority to disgrace your profession.
Many lives have been saved at your hands and our people have their trust in you. Please keep up the good word and Happy Mother's Day!
I thank you!
