Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa

Media statement

Monday, 26 January 2015 

Outcomes of the DENOSA 7^th National Congress

We are not prepared to tolerate the dysfunctional health services due to chronic shortage of staff and unfavourable working environment!

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) reconvened its 7^th National Congress from 22 to 24 January at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, which it had adjourned on 1 November 2014. 

The congress, which was attended by over 590 delegates, and 547 voting delegates, deliberated robustly on a number of pertinent issues concerning the organisation and the profession. It deliberated and resolved on seven pillars that affect the functioning of the organisation under Political, organisational, Gender, Socio-economic, International, Nursing Profession and Constitutional commissions. 

The congress called on all its members and all working people to support its Call of Action as the nurses of South Africa have spoken and DENOSA, their organisation, has listened. It acknowledged that COSATU is faced with internal battles that resulted to the formation of new unions and other political and or social movements. 

The congress made declarations and pronounced on the following key points:  

The congress has reaffirmed DENOSA’s affiliation to COSATU and called for unity in COSATU. The congress further reaffirmed its support of the ruling party, ANC, in the upcoming Local Government Elections in 2016. The congress declared that nurses are not prepared to tolerate the dysfunctional health services due to chronic shortage of staff and unfavourable working environment! Nurses are demanding the decent remuneration of nurses as they are the BACKBONE of healthcare system! Nurses are not being fairly paid for the valuable service they provide!

The congress resolved on the following:

ON NURSING MATTERS

The congress called on South African Nursing Council (SANC), as a regulatory body for nursing and an accreditation institution to close down the bogus nursing colleges with immediate effect, as their flourishing negatively affects the profession. These bogus institutions produce people that are not registerable with the South African Nursing Council and thus cannot be employed to work as nurses.

The congress also resolved on the following: 

• The new nursing curriculum must be postponed due to lack of readiness for its implementation.
• To engage SANC on CPD Point System for more clarity. For the time being, the implementation of CPD point system must be postponed until clarity is sought.
• SANC must decentralize offices to provincial levels, and not only be based at head office in Pretoria.
• SANC must explain the rationale of increasing the annual licensing fees, and must consult nurses broadly before implementing the increase in annual fees.
• Financial statement of SANC must be made known to nurses.
• SANC must regulate the tutor-learner ratio to improve the quality of nursing education.
• SANC must be involved in improving the working conditions of nurses in the country.
• Clinical Facilitators must be appointed with immediate effect to improve the quality of nursing education.
• SANC must do the inspection of the training institutions and hospitals as required by the Nursing Act.
• Nurses must improve the image of nursing by dressing properly, and wearing neat uniform.
• SANC must be involved in the student accommodation crisis and the training facilities.
• DENOSA must lobby for a progressive Registrar at SANC for the next term of office in the Council.
• Midwifery must not be a prerequisite in doing unrelated post-basic diploma.
• The Nursing Strategy must be implemented with immediate effect.

ON SOCIO-ECONOMIC MATTERS:

The congress called on shortage of nurse educators and staff in the hospitals to be addressed with immediate effect as it adversely affects the nursing education and health services respectively. The congress also resolved that:

• Students must receive equal uniform allowance as the nurses in full employment.
• DENOSA must take a strong position on payment of acting allowance to nurses.
• The salaries of nurses must be reviewed based on valuable work they do in the health sector.
• There must be a campaign to pursue the nurse-to-patient ratio, as nurses take care of far too many patients at facilities due largely to a slow pace in hiring new nurses.
• There must be an establishment of a task team on nurses’ uniform.
• Access the pension fund to alleviate poverty in government employees. The funding model of student nurses must be PERSAL/salary system and not the bursary system. The latter has created a plethora of problems for students, the majority of whom come from poor families.

ON GENDER MATTERS:

The congress resolved on developing a layer of women leadership in order to be effective in their leadership roles. Support the vulnerable groups, the female nurses in general and female students in particular against gender violence.

DENOSA constitution on gender representation must be practiced in all structures of the organization so that gender balance is reflected. Other resolutions are the following:

• Condemn the discrimination of homosexuality in both society and leadership structures of the organization. To this end we reaffirm the COSATU campaign on condemning discrimination against homosexuality. 
• Call for the tightening of security at facilities by provision of competent security personnel as nurses often fall victims of violence. 
•  

ON POLITICAL/COSATU MATTERS:

The congress supports COSATU campaign in total burn of E-Tolls and the labour brokers and rejects the Youth Wage Subsidy as it is not addressing the youth unemployment but creates exploitation of youth by the employers. The congress undertook that the organisation ensures the implementation of NHI to improve the health services to the people. Other resolutions are that:

• NUMSA must be reinstated back to COSATU in realizing 2015 plan of uniting workers and reaching the 4 million membership.
• COSATU must call a special national congress by April 2015.
• DENOSA rejects any plans by anyone to block or frustrate the holding of the COSATU Special National Congress. Such plans fly in the face of the November 2014 CEC processes which are aimed at resolving the current impasse within COSATU.
• DENOSA rejects and disassociates itself from the formation of SAPSU and United Front.
• Affiliation of LIMUSA to COSATU must be rejected.
• Call on SACP to play the role of being a vanguard of the working class and play a reconciliatory role in the federation. The party must refrain from playing the dividing role in the labour movement. 
• The alliance must be a political centre, not the ANC. 

ON INTERNATIONAL MATTERS:

The congress affirmed that DENOSA must support the “Free Palestine” Campaign by boycotting products from Israel. Support the #BringBackOurGirls campaign in Nigeria.

It also called on the state to tighten all the entry points such as borders and ports to control diseases i.e. Ebola, Malaria and other infectious diseases. DENOSA supports the struggle of workers and other social ills across the borders of SA such as Swaziland, Mozambique and other SADC countries. DENOSA supports the Global Green Economy. DENOSA will Continue to support the regional (SADC) nursing organisations and associations, and to support nursing organisations and nurses in the hard-hit and war-torn areas in the continent.

Ends

Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA)

For more information, contact:

Simon Hlungwani, DENOSA President

Mobile: 079 501 4922

Or

Sibongiseni Delihlazo, DENOSA Communications Manager

Mobile: 079 875 2663

Email: sibongisenid@denosa.org.za

Website: www.denosa.org.za

Facebook: DENOSA National Page

Twitter: @DENOSAORG