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DENOSA Gauteng to lead a march to Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) and Gauteng Provincial Department of Health on 21 February
Press release
08 February 2017
The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in Gauteng will be marching to the Government Employee’s Medical Scheme (Gems) offices in Braamfontein over fee hikes and poor service as well as to Gauteng’s Department of Health to demand better conditions in health centres and abolishing of bursary system for student nurses on the 21st February 2017.
The march to GEMS is due to a number of complaints from members of the scheme regarding the reduced benefits and exorbitant fees. We are calling on all public servants belonging to this scheme (Gems) who are frustrated by the exorbitant fees and reduced benefits to join us in demonstrating that this scheme is exploiting public servants and the service is poor. As this is the year of public sector negotiations, it is important for government to note that majority of government employees are not happy with the services of GEMS. DENOSA Gauteng therefore makes a call to all members of this scheme in Gauteng to take to the streets on the 21st of February.
The march to Gauteng’s Health Department is to demand the abolishment of the newly-introduced bursary system into nursing education and a re- instatement of the PERSAL system as it has worked better for many years. Our view is that this bursary system is not sustainable and student-friendly as it will reduce significantly the number of nursing graduates produced as these students will be inconvenienced by this structure that opens opportunities for looting of state resources and corruption at the expense of student nurses and compromise the quality of health care needed by Gauteng citizens.
We will also be demanding better working conditions or positive practice environment for all health care workers as this will deal with long waiting times and poor quality health care.
We are therefore calling on Gauteng Citizens, civil society and all stakeholders who are tired of poor health care, shortages medication and long waiting times at public health care centres to join us in the streets to Call for a better, caring and responsive public health care system.
DENOSA Gauteng further supports the DENOSA national march scheduled for the 22nd of February 2017 to the national Department of Health and the South African Nursing Council (SANC) to fight for nurses. We call on all nurses in Gauteng to join both marches.
End
Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in Gauteng
For more information, contact:
Simphiwe Gada, DENOSA Gauteng Provincial Chairperson
Mobile: 0795014869/ 072 563 1923
Or
Bongani Qankase, DENOSA Provincial Organiser
Mobile: 073 5283 141
