Nursing training will continue after persistent pressure from the FF Plus
16 October 2019
The training of nurses will continue in January 2020 after the FF Plus kept the pressure on to have the problem solved since last Thursday's meeting of the parliamentary portfolio committee for Health.
The FF Plus brought the problem to light in the public domain straight after last Thursday's meeting and it provoked widespread responses and concern.
The FF Plus pointed out that because the Minister was dragging his feet in signing the new regulations for nursing training it could mean that no nurses would be able to receive tertiary training in 2020 seeing as the current regulations for nursing training expire at the end of this year.
There was also a long delay with the signing of the new training regulations.
During the portfolio committee’s session yesterday, the FF Plus once again raised the issue with the Minister. The Minister would initially only have appeared before the committee today, but the problem had to be solved urgently after the FF Plus pointed out to the committee chairperson during last week's meeting that the matter must be discussed with the Minister urgently.
The Minister assured the FF Plus that training will continue in January 2020. The FF Plus wanted more assurance about this undertaking and so the Minister and the Director-general (DG) of the Department of Health both decided that notices must be published in the Government Gazette today, which will solve the problem so as to ensure that the training of nurses can continue unhindered in 2020/21.
The notices that will be published basically entail that private training institutions will be reclassified as public institutions so that training programmes can continue.
The FF Plus reminded the Minister and the DG that the party will keep a close eye on the matter. If there are any problems with nursing training in January 2020, the party will hold the Minister and the DG accountable in the interest of everyone in South Africa.
Issued by Philip van Staden, FF Plus MP and chief spokesperson: Health, 16 October 2019
