This is according to the Ritshidze Data Project Officer, Ndivhuwo Rambau, after releasing a report on the state of North West Health. 

She says that in Bojanala Platinum, five sites reportedly have shortages of professional nurses, while Ngaka Modiri Molema had a shortage of nurses at three sites, and in Dr Kenneth Kaunda there was a shortage at three sites as well. While acknowledging that the provincial healthcare system has been under some strain due to various reasons, the North West health spokesperson, Tebogo Lekgethwane, said that there has been some improvement in various areas, compared to last year.

“There has been a lot of improvement in terms of the staff that has been recruited, particularly with health professionals that have been recruited. There have been over 3000 [recruitments] since the [new] administration because prior to the administration there was a time when the department was not employing. We were under some sort of restriction that related to cost-cutting measures at that time, but we have since been able to employ more staff,” he adds.

Lekwene further adds that the issue of staff attitude began to be a problem because of the challenges that the healthcare system has been under. He, however, adds that the department is slowly dealing with the issue of staff attitude.

Ritshidze is a community-led monitoring system developed by several HIV-related organisations, like the Treatment Action Campaign, Positive Action Campaign, and Positive Women’s Network, among others.

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