Denosa commemorates International Nurses day

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Let there be justice of quality for nursing in South Africa, so said The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) President, Simon Hlungwani.

He was addressing the International Nurses Day national event that was held at the Hope for Africa Christian Church in Siyabuswa, Mpumalanga, on Friday.

International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on May 12 in memory of the birth of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale.

This year, the day was observed under the theme: “Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care” – which seeks to raise awareness about the challenges facing nurses as the backbone of healthcare.

The commemorative event aims to honour and appreciate the significant contributions made by nurses in serving patients with warmth, compassion, and empathy.

Hlungwani called for justice for the nursing profession in the country, in both the number of nurses that gets produced each year and the skills levels for the nursing cadres.

“The establishment of economic power of care in our healthcare system means investing in training more professional nurses, improving and maintaining infrastructure for an enhanced overall delivery of services to patients,” he stated.

The International Council of Nurses (ICN) has expressed a concern over what it calls a quick-fix approach by many countries who, faced with the challenge of gross nurses shortage, opt to shorten the years of study for nurses as a way to fast-track the production…thus prioritising quantity over quality. 

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Meanwhile, health minister Dr Joe Phaahla and Gauteng health and wellness MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, joined nurses to commemorate International Nurses Day at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital on Sunday.

The Minister of @HealthZA, Dr Joe Phaahla together with MEC @NkomoNomantu are today observing #InternationalNursesDay at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital under the theme: “Our Nurses. Our Future. The economic power of care”, which seeks to raise awareness about the… pic.twitter.com/wT7DbXWuMB

— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) May 12, 2024

The minister said the government, needs to do everything possible, within available resources to ensure an environment that is conducive for nursing as a profession to flourish through training and development.