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Denosa to lead FS nursing students’ march in Bloemfontein

───   REFILWE GAESWE 09:43 Sun, 14 Feb 2016

Denosa to lead FS nursing students’ march in Bloemfontein | News Article

Bloemfontein - The Denosa Learner Movement in the Free State will tomorrow (Monday) lead a march in Bloemfontein to protest the alleged collapsing health system around the province.

This follows a nursing students strike at the Free State School of Nursing’s Bloemfontein Campus, which were forced to shut down their facilities last week. The students refused to return to wards or classes until the department of health paid them outstanding stipends.

Hundreds of student nurses expected to be part of the march come from National Hospital’s south campus in Bloemfontein, Bongani Hospital’s northern campus in Welkom and Manapo Hospital’s eastern campus in Qwaqwa.

The march will start at National Hospital and proceed to Bophelo House, the provincial health department.

The learner movement’s provincial secretary, Gift Mnyamane, says nursing students have tried to engage with the department for several years about their grievances and an agreement was never reached. According to Mnyamane, some of their demands are the total overhaul of the management structure and the regulatory body and that the SA nursing council should rapidly register newly-qualified nurses.

“We demand a withdrawal of Circular 57 of 2013 and Circular 02 of 2014, which prohibits newly-qualified health professionals from doing community service without being registered with their relevant regulatory bodies.

“We also demand funding of nurses because they have to pay for themselves at the institutions and also have to buy their own books.”

Mnyamane further adds that they demand all nursing students to automatically be hired by the department once they complete their studies. Denosa expects a response from the department within 14 days.

The southern campus students promised to continue picketing until they receive their stipends on the 18th this month and the situation is normal at other two campuses.

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