NURSES HALF SMILE AS BUDDING HEALTH PROFESSIONALS DESCEND ON MPUMALANGA HOSPITALS
By Montsho Matlala
Mbombela:With a total of 739 health professionals including medical doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other allied health professional just given interships and community service positions in various Mpumalanga hospitals, the nurses union Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in the province sees no reason for jubilation.
Before deployment to various health facilities in the province, the 102 Interns and 637 community service health professionals were welcomed by the provincial health MEC, Ms Sasekani Manzini at a ceremony held at Nutting House in Mbobela City over the weekend.
Manzini implored the cohort to uphold the principles of quality health care in the hospitals and clinics.
“I want to encourage you to be committed and dedicated to your work and make use of every opportunity to learn whilst you are undergoing your internship.
“We trust that the intern doctors will get the best out of these two years as you are prepared to become the best in your respective fields of expertise and specialisation,” Manzini said.
However, DENOSA provincial secretary, Mr Thulani Masombuko this week told Timeless News while the interns and community service professionals may bring some little relief there was no cause for celebration yet.
“About 140 of these 739 are nurses and normally as a union we should be happy. But internship and community service for medical doctors, pharmacists and other health professional’s positions are not permanent. There is no guarantee that they would be absorbed into permanent positions at the end of their service contracts,” Masombuka lamented.
“Due to widespread shortage of nurses and allied health professionals in Mpumalanga, most of the time the interns and community service professionals work without supervision of experienced staff.
“And this is posing a danger to patients and to themselves too as interns and community service professionals. By leaving them without professional supervision, the department must carry the blame of abusing them,” Denosa leader charged.
According to Manzini there was a growing concern among people in Mpuamalanga and South Africa in general relating to the attitude, morale and caring ethos of health professionals.
She told the interns and community service professionals to change this negative perception, “I therefore urge you to undertake to uphold the principles indicated in the pledge throughout your careers in order to restore the values and ethics entrenched in the medical profession.
“In your hands you carry the life of young and old, and the rich and poor as they all need good health to continue to live and fulfil their purpose on earth.”
With regard permanent appointments, the MEC urged the interns and community health professionals not to worry as the province and the country was facing shortages of health professionals and ageing public servants who were leaving vacant positions due to retirement.
“All these factors create opportunities for new entrants into the system and our commitment to expand access to health care through building new facilities also creates employment opportunities for new entrants and those entrants are likely going to be amongst yourselves.
“We might not be able to absorb all of you as a Province, but find comfort in the reality that the country needs health professionals,”Manzini explained.
During this financial year Mpumalanga Department of Health has absorbed a total of 328 bursary holders, 110 doctors, 198 Nurses, 2 radiographers, a dietician and 18
Leave a comment
