These 506 nurses, in total, which include comprehensive nursing, midwifery, psychiatric nursing, advanced midwifery and neonatal nursing science, operating theatre and clinical nursing science, will later be placed in various health facilities in the province.

The department says the deployment of these nurses will enable quick health service delivery to locals in areas where there is such a need. OFM News previously reported that the MEC for the Health Department, Madoda Sambatha, announced during his maiden departmental budget speech in July that the 24-hour health access to rural areas will remain the biggest target in the next 12 months. Sambatha said his department will increase the 24-hour service availability at the current 68 facilities, with an additional nine facilities.

The department says the new nurses will do their compulsory community service for a year, which will enable them to register with the South African Nursing Council and continue to serve the people of the province with pride. During his speech at the provincial legislature, Sambatha further said there will be an increase in several facilities to at least ten per year for the next five years, targeting the most rural communities, including, amongst others, Taung. Sambatha also announced that the department will employ young people with grade 12 for a period of six months from October 2019 to March 2020 to help the provincial government with a programme to reach the intended level of virally suppressed people living with HIV and Aids in NW. He said this as the concept of 90-90-90 goals was introduced by the United Nation’s programme on HIV/Aids in 2013. The concept was that by 2020, 90% of people who are HIV infected will be diagnosed, 90% of people who are diagnosed will be on antiretroviral treatment, and 90% of those who receive antiretroviral treatment will be virally suppressed.

OFM News