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DENOSA response to Mid-Term Budget Policy Statement: slaves may not take it any longer
Media statement
Thursday, 27 October 2016
DENOSA response to Mid-Term Budget Policy Statement: slaves may not take it any longer…
As a nursing organisation in South Africa, DENOSA notes the Mid-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) delivered by Finance Minister yesterday, especially the increases in the NHI conditional grant to continue the contracting of general practitioners and bring professional capacity into the School Health Programme.
However, DENOSA is concerned about the intention to continue to reduce personnel head count in government and to introduce ‘more moderate wage increases’ as announced by Minister. Yet again, despite previous warnings, the minister has used the MTBPS to pronounce the state's position and attitude for the upcoming wage negotiations in the public service.
This is austerity measure, and in the case of health, it means poor and compromised service to communities. The severe staff shortages in health facilities is breeding serious tensions between few care givers and many end-users who form long queues in clinics and hospitals. Organograms are being changed, and thus vacant positions are being phased out regardless of the growing need to fill those positions. Lives of the people cannot be equated to any budget.
Already, 20 000 jobs have been lost over the past three years in provinces thanks to moratoria on hiring of new staff despite the vacancies, and it is estimated that 25 000 more will be lost in the next three years through attrition. In practical terms this means the staff establishment at Job Shimankana Tabane Hospital in Rustenburg, which dates back to 2006, will remain and shrink even though wards have increased and no new staff was hired. It means Bruntville Community Health Centre in Mooi River, KZN, will continue to have only one professional nurse for night duty performing everything. It means Loeriesfontein Clinic in Hantam in the Namaqua district will remain with one professional nurse and assistant nurse performing everything.
Essentially, this is a plan to enslave the few government workers in the service who already can’t cope with the massive workload as patient numbers remain growing. As if this is not enough, the intention over the next three years is to give a ‘more moderate wage increases’ as if one percent real increase is exorbitant for nurses who do the work of three of four more other nurses who are not hired.
DENOSA would like to warn of the brewing unhappiness of health workers with staff shortage that remain unaddressed. We caution that this will brew into something that the country is not prepared for. At some point, the slaves will not take it any longer.
End
Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA)
For more information, contact:
Modise Letsatsi, DENOSA 1st Deputy President
Mobile: 071 610 4576
Or
Sibongiseni Delihlazo, DENOSA Communications Manager
Mobile: 079 875 2663
Tel: 012 343 2315
Email: sibongisenid@denosa.org.za
Website: www.denosa.org.za
Facebook: DENOSA National P
