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DENOSA in full support of COSATU National Strike against job losses tomorrow

Media statement

Tuesday, 12 February 2019

The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) is in full support of, and will be joining, the Cosatu National Strike in all provinces tomorrow to highlight the negative impact of job losses in both the private and public health sectors in the country.

Key to our concerns in the job losses in the health sector is the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) as a country’s vehicle towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) whereby all citizens will access quality healthcare regardless of their socio-economic standing. But this objective will not be realized anytime soon if community service nurses are not employed as soon as they are qualified nurses and nurses who retire or resign do not get replaced for years in many health facilities, as is often the case.

DENOSA has always said, and continues to say, that the universal health coverage in South Africa will never be realized if provincial governments continue to withhold filling of vacant positions for nurses. This is because, by its nature, the healthcare system is largely driven by nurses. If the numbers that are employed are still below the levels as indicated in organograms of health facilities, then the quality healthcare service will continue to suffer severely.

Furthermore, the universal health coverage will be realized and felt by many South Africans through re-engineering of primary healthcare whereby more clinics are fully equipped and refurbished and nurses are skilled with study opportunities on PHC and services are available at all times.

DENOSA hopes the established NHI and quality improvement War Room in the Presidency as announced in his State of The Nation Address (SONA), consisting of key departments to address the crisis in the public health system while preparing for the implementation of the NHI, will look into the Human Resource development as it is a key contributory factor to the current deteriorating quality healthcare.

End

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

For more information, contact:

Cassim Lekhoathi, DENOSA Acting General Secretary

Mobile: 082 328 9671

Simon Hlungwani, DENOSA President

Mobile: 082 328 9635

Website: www.denosa.org.za

Facebook: DENOSA National Page

Twitter: @DENOSAORG