The DENOSA International Relations Committee, the Sub-Committee of the organisation’s National Executive Committee (NEC), held its scheduled meeting at the DENOSA Headquarters in the country’s capital, Pretoria between 25 and 26 July.
Part of the committee’s work includes looking at the global and regional developments in both nursing and the world of work. It also includes submission of DENOSA inputs on the engagements that seek to change policies to favour the nurses and nursing at the international level.
The Committee also made an assessment of the current geopolitical environment and how it affects public services, global peace, migration and socio-economic well-being of workers.
DENOSA is affiliated to various international professional and public service organisations, with the aim to be the voice of the South African nurses at global tables and on policies that are likely to change the world of work and nursing profession at country-level.
For the two days, committee members have been seized with many discussion items that the committee needed to dispose of.
Key among the many pressing issues internationally, and how these are changing the way citizens of countries are receiving healthcare services, include the continuing global shortage of nurses which is estimated to surpass the 4 million mark by year 2030 as countries struggle to increase their production of nurses in line with the recommendations of the WHO/ICN World’s State of Nursing 2020 Report.
Like in any environment where there’s scarcity of resources, the non-availability of sufficient numbers of skilled nurses in countries is triggering the undesired phenomenon of unethical recruitment, the brain-drain of nurses from under-developed countries to developed countries en masse, leaving catastrophic levels of shortages in the poor countries.
The Committee also looked at South Africa, as a BRICS Nursing Forum member, hosting other BRICS partners in the upcoming BRICS Nursing Forum Meeting. The committee also looked at the other upcoming engagements, like the ECSACON conference in Lesotho in September this year, ICN Congress next year, as well as next year’s International Nurses Day commemoration national event.
Just like other committees, the International Relations Committee’s resolutions serve as recommendations to the organisation’s NEC.
All those serving on the International Relations Committee are members of the NEC.–
Sibongiseni Delihlazo