That South Africa is in a nursing crisis has long been a matter of record. Just as a refresher to what has been written about the topic over the years, and how best to understand just how bad the crisis is, we have compiled the following summary of headlines, research (including our own), and views. And unless we do something quickly to unblock the pipeline of new recruits and up-skilling, it looks dire in the next few years. NB: Some of the matters raised in some of the articles below have since been resolved, but these resolutions do not suggest the nursing crisis is averted.
Articles
No Funds to Train 700 Nurses: The full story.
Shortage of nurses exacerbates health problems in S. Africa: The full story
Nurse training was destroyed, says Motsoaledi: The full story
‘Total cruelty to humankind’: Nurses lament working conditions in North West hospitals: The full story
Lack of nurses forces patients to queue from 3am: The full story
Nursing shortage at dire levels with no funding for first-year students: The full story
Nurses protest over poor working conditions: The full story
Nursing in SA is in crisis: The full story
DENOSA: Shortage of nurses to blame for lack of service delivery: The full story
Nurses leaving SA in droves: The full story
SA nurses are moonlighting to make ends meet: The full story
MEC highlights need for more nurses: The full story
70% of SA nurses have a secondary job – study: The full story
Too few specialised nurses: The full story
Health department ordered to place graduate nurse as backlog piles up: The full story
KZN healthcare on brink of collapse, say doctors: The full story
State blamed for state of nursing in SA: The full story
Research
A profession in peril: Download here
NHI Note 4: Supply Constraints and The Human Resource Supply Constraint: The Case Of Nurses: Download here