Press Release 6/2020: Appreciating the value of nurses and midwives especially during the Covid-19 pandemic

Press Release 6/2020: The SANC – Appreciating the value of nurses and midwives especially during the Covid-19 pandemic


25 August 2020

TO:News Editor
FROM:Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO


The SANC – Appreciating the value of nurses and midwives especially during the Covid-19 pandemic

 

The world is experiencing its biggest crisis in more than a hundred years, with the saving of lives at the forefront of every thought and action.

 

In the midst of this pandemic is healthcare workers and more specifically, nurses and midwives. 
Often the sacrifices that they make are done under impossible conditions, at the cost of their own health and safety, and at the cost of time not spent with their loved ones.

 

Although the SANC is not an employer or a union, and thus cannot interfere in employer-employee matters, it appreciates the nurses’ and midwives’ commitment and sacrifice and thus supports a call to provide them with personal protective equipment, ensuring their safety at all times. As regulator of the profession the SANC also supports the need for as many nurses as possible to assist during the pandemic.

 

The Council of the SANC resolved at its meeting in July 2020, that an increase in the annual fees for the year 2021/2022 (normally payable from July –December 2021 for 2022), will be waivered. The annual fees for the next payment cycle (2021/22) will therefore be the same as this current cycle.

 

This could not be implemented during the current payment cycle due to a legislated process and timeframe for the SANC budget. The SANC budget is drawn and submitted to the Minister of Health at least three months before the beginning of the following financial year. The current budget was submitted by the end of December 2019 already. 

 

This waiver is introduced to pledge its solidarity with nurses and midwives who are at the forefront of the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The Council acknowledges that nurses and midwives render services at great sacrifice to themselves and families, and expresses its condolences to families, friends and employers who have experienced the loss of their loved ones.

 

Says Sizo Mchunu, SANC Registrar and CEO: “We express our deepest sympathy and sincere condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of those nurses who have succumbed during the fight against Covid-19. You are the true heroes of the pandemic, with sacrifices made to the end. We salute you and we honour you. To this end, the SANC would like to announce its plans for a Wall of Remembrance in the internal garden at the SANC premises. The wall will contain the names of those nurses who have succumbed during the Covid-19 pandemic. What better way to honour these heroes than in a peaceful garden at the headquarters of the regulating body for nurses. Details will be provided to nurses as soon as possible.”

 

During the months of this pandemic in South Africa, we have seen nurses become the eyes and ears of patients’ family and in many instances the only ‘family’ the patients under isolation had. We cannot begin to fathom the emotional impact this has had on the nurses, while at the same time also seeing their friends and colleagues succumb to the virus. “The SANC calls on Employers to ensure that trauma counselling is readily available and Post Traumatic Stress addressed in its infancy”, says Ms Mchunu.

 

Nurses of South Africa, we salute you. We honour you. You have proved yourself not only worthy but exceptional. You truly are the embodiment of the SANC slogan for nurses: #bethatnurse.
 

ENDS

 

Issued by:
Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communication
South African Nursing Council 
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sanc.co.za 
Tel: 012 426-9542

 

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:
Ms. S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel. (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected] 

 

Press Release 5/2020: Delayed registrations of nurses are resulting from late submissions of applications to the SANC

Press Release 5/2020: Delayed registrations of nurses are resulting from late submissions of applications to the SANC


12 June 2020

TO:News Editor
FROM:Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO

 

Delayed registrations of nurses are resulting from late submissions of applications to the SANC


During a time when the world is facing one of its worst crisis, especially in the area of healthcare, the South African Nursing Council (SANC) has continued its commitment towards the nursing profession and the registration of nurses to enable them to practice.

 

The SANC recognises and understands the need for as many registered nurses as possible to assist with the Covid-19 pandemic and as a result has also offered free restoration into the Nursing Register to nurses who want to assist for the period of the COVID-19 National State of Disaster.

 

It is disheartening in the midst of a crisis of this magnitude to find that there is still misinformation causing misperceptions that ultimately result in damaging the SANC’s image and work.

 

In one such instance, the SANC was requested for more information regarding the registration of nurses, especially during the Covid period and during lock-down. The SANC responded in writing with full facts, background and relevant legislative provisions but the final article that was published and aired by ENCA did not reflect the facts provided. It is unfortunate that ENCA chose not to disclose full and accurate information and also provided some factually incorrect information in its report, which has unfortunately caused immense confusion and unjustly placed the SANC in a very bad light.

 

In the light of the information generated by ENCA, it is in the public interest for the SANC to provide the public with the correct facts:

 

Nursing Education Institutions legally have 30 days to submit applications for registration of Community Service Practitioners following completion of a nursing programme. The same applies to the Provincial Departments of Health in respect of registration of Professional Nurses following completion of Community Service. Legally, the SANC then has 60 days to process and issue certificates.

 

It is factually and grossly incorrect that “many graduate nurses who would like to help, can’t do so because of registration delays at the SA Nursing Council”. Applications received on time and even those received a month after deadline, were processed by the SANC and certificates were duly issued to all provinces during the lockdown. The 1000 outstanding applications referred to in the report are as a result of very late submissions to the SANC. 

 

One case in point is the “257 of those awaiting registration are in the Western Cape.” The applications were delayed by the Provincial Department of Health and unfortunately submitted only approximately two months after completion of Community Service which was in contravention of the prescribed period. It is regrettable that the correct information provided to ENCA was withheld, resulting in misinformation and confusion to the public. It is also unfortunate that graduates are being confused by this misinformation.

 

The public is further misled by the statement “Council’s offices were closed at the beginning of lockdown and only opened again this week”. In compliance with the regulations published under the Disaster Management Act, 57 of 2002 the Council was compelled to close its offices due to the pandemic but the SANC continued to render offsite critical services, hence registrations and certificates were issued to all provinces during lockdown. It is further factually incorrect that the SANC office opened this week only.

 

Says Ms Sizo Mchunu, SANC Registrar & CEO: “The SANC would like to reiterate its commitment to the nursing profession and the registration of nurses, thus enabling them to practice especially during a time like this. As regulator of the profession we support the need for as many nurses as possible to assist during the pandemic and thereafter, and we applaud nurses for the sacrifices they make during the pandemic, often at the cost of themselves and their families. Our hearts go out to the nurses who are inconvenienced by these unnecessary delays and are further misinformed regarding due processes”.

 

ENDS

 

Issued by:
Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communication
South African Nursing Council 
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sanc.co.za 
Tel: 012 426-9542

 

 

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:
Ms. S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

 

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel. (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected] 

Press Release 4/2020: Incorrect published Regulations regarding Scope of Practice for Nurses and Midwives

Press Release 4/2020: Incorrect published Regulations regarding Scope of Practice for Nurses and Midwives


27 May 2020

TO:Editors and Health Journalists
ISSUED BYDepartment of Health

 

Incorrect published Regulations regarding Scope of Practice for Nurses and Midwives

The National Department of Health published the above Regulations in Government Gazette No. 43305 published on 12 May 2020 for public comments for a period of one month. It was discovered after publication that an incorrect version of the Regulations was published. The National Department of Health regrets this error. The correct version of the Regulations will be published in due course to enable the public to comment.

 

ENDS

 

For more information, please contact:
Mr Popo Maja
Department of Health Spokesperson
Mobile: 072 585 3219/082 373 1169
Email: 
[email protected]

  

Press Release 3/2020: Appreciating the role of nurses in society on International Nurses’ Day May 2020

Press Release 3/2020: Appreciating the role of nurses in society on International Nurses’ Day May 2020


11 May 2020

TO:News Editor
FROM:Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO

 

SANC – Appreciating the role of nurses in society on International Nurses’ Day May 2020

The global nursing community is celebrating International Nurses Day on 12 May 2020. The World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board designated 2020 as the “Year of the Nurse and Midwife” in honour of the 200th birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale.

How fitting is this theme during the Covid-19 crisis, where nurses are at the forefront of the crisis and serve as the backbone of the profession, often at great cost to themselves and their families. Nurses have never been thrown into the spotlight the way they are now, and have never been needed more. Daily, we are faced with stories of nurses’ compassion, selfless acts, courage and dedication in the midst of this crisis.

The SA Nursing Council is adding its full support to International Nurses Day 2020 with the Council-approved theme: Appreciating the role of nurses in society. This theme carries even more value during the Covid-19 outbreak, as the value of nurses and nursing become paramount in our fight for survival. The SANC is therefore proud to announce the launch of the SANC Nursing Excellence Awards as of 2020. The Awards will focus on conferring annual merit awards for outstanding service by nurses and providing a means for recognizing the contributions of nurses to the profession and to the public.

Nursing is a noble profession which requires the highest degree of professionalism, dedication and care. The health system cannot function without nursing as its backbone. But the stress that nurses work under daily cannot be under-estimated, especially during this pandemic.

Ms S Mchunu, Registrar and CEO: “We acknowledge the efforts and sacrifices made by nurses daily, and especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. This is the Year of the Nurse in so many ways. We urge nurses and employers to remember that their health and safety are of key importance in the fight against this pandemic. We wish the nurses in South Africa a memorable International Nurses Day. Let us keep alive the words by the late Florence Nightingale: ‘For the sick it is important to have the best’”.

ENDS

Issued by:
Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communication
South African Nursing Council 
E-mail : [email protected]
Website : www.sanc.co.za 
Tel : 012 426-9542

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:
Ms. S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel. (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected] 

 

Press Release 2/2020: SANC offers free restoration to qualifying nurses during COVID-19 National State of Disaster

SANC offers free restoration to qualifying nurses during COVID-19 National State of Disaster


20 April 2020

The SANC notes and applauds the efforts by Government and in particular the Ministry of Health in the fight against the coronavirus, and the dedication to the health of all South Africans.

In support of these efforts, the South African Nursing Council (SANC) is pleased to announce a further solution to have more nurses available to assist during the crisis. Any nurse, who for the period of the COVID-19 National State of Disaster, wants to be restored back onto the Nurse Register for the sole purpose of rendering services and aiding in the prevention of the spread of Covid-19 or the treatment of affected patients, and is currently not on the Nursing Register, may restore and be registered at a fee of R0.00.

The Board Notice regarding this special concession was published in the Government Gazette on 9 April already, but it was important that the process had to be communicated by the Department of Health on provincial level first to ensure a stream-lined and simplified restoration process. Thus said, it is important to note that this process of restoration for the said period will be done via the relevant departments e.g. Department of Health, Department of Correctional Services and South African Military Health Services. Nurses cannot restore individually for this process. The SANC has created a simplified restoration form to assist the respective departments with the process. Upon completion of the form, the departments will then provide same to the SANC with a list of all the nurses to be restored for the National State of Disaster period only. The completed form, available on the SANC website, must be submitted to the respective Provincial Departments of Health together with application sent in response to the advertisement.

Says the SANC Registrar and CEO, Ms Sizo Mchunu: “It is important that nurses note that this is an exception to the normal restoration rules and that this restoration will expire at the end of the National State of Disaster, as will be pronounced by the President of South Africa. These Nurses’ names will then be removed from the Register and the normal restoration process and fees will then apply for those who choose to remain registered in order to practice nursing.”

The SANC calls for calm and patience on the side of the public during this outbreak and implores the public to keep in mind that nurses work long hours and under gruelling pressure during this outbreak while at the same time they also have families that they worry about.

If we all make a concerted effort, together, we will be able to #flattenthecurve.


.. COVID-19 Restoration Form

Press Release 1/2020 Nurses are at the forefront of the Coronavirus

Press Release 1/2020:  Nurses are at the forefront of the Coronavirus

19 March 2020

TO:News Editor
FROM:Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO

 

SANC: Nurses are at the forefront of the Coronavirus

The coronavirus outbreak is escalating and the burden on the healthcare system is increasing daily. Nurses are at the forefront of the healthcare system and therefore also of this outbreak, and crucial in combating this virus. The South African Nursing Council (SANC) would like to commend all nurses responsible for caring for those infected and dealing with long queues to assist patients.

 

Generally, Nurses are educated and trained in principles, guidelines and protocols regarding infection prevention and control and these continue to apply, regardless of the type of infection. However, employers remain responsible for, and are urged, to keep supporting nurses and providing additional supplies for infection control.

 

The SANC also implores employers to ensure that nurses have personal protective equipment (PPE) and access to running water to assist them to safely execute their duties. As the backbone of healthcare it is imperative that we protect the nursing staff as this will assist in curbing the spread of the virus and sustaining a healthy workforce.

 

The SANC calls on the public to keep nurses in mind and in their prayers – they are at risk and exposed, work long hours, deal with long queues and work under difficult circumstances while their own families are at home coping with the outbreak by themselves.

 

The public is reminded to always adhere to the following outbreak prevention guidelines: Maintain your distance from other people, wash your hands as per the approved protocol, sanitize your hands, do not cough or sneeze into your hands and do not touch your face. If you do suspect that you are infected please remember to dial the hotline numbers first, as going to a hospital or clinic directly means you are placing others at risk of infection. These hotline numbers are operational 24-hours a day: 0800 029 999 and 0800 111 132.

 

We call for calm. If we all work together and follow the guidelines, we will assist in curbing the spread.