Nurses urged to apply for permanent positions
Professional nurses who are newly qualified are required by the National Department of Health to perform one year of community service.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) responded to the concerns raised by the DA Constituency Head of Tembisa and Kempton Park, MPL Refiloe Nt’sekhe, about the claim that clinics will face a major nursing shortages by the end of this year.
MPL N’tsekhe said she visit the affected clinics in Tembisa and Kempton Park recently.
“In January, professional nurses started working at these clinics on five-year work contracts.
However, these nurses recently received contract termination notices, which will be effective by the end of December. This means these four clinics will have to operate without professional nursing staff from the beginning of next year,” said MPL N’tsekhe.
MPL N’tsekhe said nurses play a crucial role at clinics, and the termination of these work contracts will compromise the quality of healthcare provided to residents living in Tembisa and Kempton Park.
“I will therefore be writing to the Gauteng MEC for Health, Dorothy Mahlangu, and the Ekurhuleni MMC for Health, Makhosazana Mabaso, requesting that they provide clarity on this issue as a matter of urgency and to provide information as to how these clinics will operate with these vacancies,” said N’tsekhe.
The EMM spokesperson, Mr Themba Gadebe, said the professional nurses who are newly qualified are required by the National Department of Health to perform one year of community service and some of these community service nurses were placed in clinics in Ekurhuleni by the Gauteng Department of Health.
“These one year contracts are coming to an end in December and therefore the nurses were issued contract termination letters by the Gauteng Department of Health. On completion of their one year community service contract, the professional nurses are advised to apply for permanent positions that are vacant at the time,” said Mr Gadebe.
Mr Gadebe said not all the professional nurses in Kempton Park and Tembisa are affected by the contracts. Only 10 community service professional nurses, who were placed at eight clinics in January 2015 at Kempton Park and Tembisa Clinics, are affected.
“On discussion with the Gauteng Department of Health, it was determined that a process is currently underway to attempt to absorb these community service professional nurses,” said Mr Gadebe.
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