'SA needs to stem nurse trek'

2002-10-31 13:29

Cape Town - The emigration of nurses has increased dramatically since 2000, resulting in a serious shortage in South Africa, says Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

"Certain developed countries" had launched active recruitment drives and the emigration of qualified nurses now posed a threat to service delivery in South Africa," she said in reply to a question in the National Assembly. "As we continue to train highly skilled nurses, those who continue to poach our scarce human resources undermine our efforts.

"According to existing posts, there is a 24% shortage of nurses in South Africa. There are, of course, variations between provinces, institutions, and urban and rural areas," she said.

The proportion of professional to enrolled nurses was 2:1, while the internationally accepted ratio was 1:2.

Tshabalala-Msimang said the government was implementing a number of strategies, including all Commonwealth countries signing a code of conduct for the ethical recruitment of health professionals.

The government also was investigating, with the treasury, monetary and non-monetary incentives to retain health professionals, while exchange programmes or work opportunities with contractual binding were also being implemented.

- SAPA