3 February 2023

FOR ATTENTION   : NEWS EDITOR

SUBJECT                   : TRAINING OF NURSES

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The South African Nursing Council has noted the comments made in the media, e.g. by Medbrief Africa and Business Day, regarding training of Nurses in South Africa and specifically Nurse Specialists and Midwife Specialists. The SANC acknowledges the shortage of Nurse Specialists and Midwife Specialists as indicated in both MedBrief Africa and Business Day’s articles and believe it is important to again explain the process around NEI and programme accreditation and the training of Nurses in South Africa.

The SANC is a statutory body currently functioning in terms of the Nursing Act (Act No 33 of 2005). It is responsible for developing and maintaining Nursing education and practice standards in the Republic of South of Africa. The Council of the SANC may accredit Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) and Nursing programmes, provided that the application(s) meets the SANC requirements, criteria and conditions as stipulated in the Regulations Relating to Institutions as Nursing Education Institutions (Government Gazette No. R173 of 8 March 2013).

This is to ensure that the Nurses who qualified and qualify are competent and safe practitioners. The SANC issued a media Statement on 5 August 2022, with a thorough explanation of the factors that are considered when a decision to accredit the NEIs, Nursing programmes and student numbers by Council is made. The factors includes, relevancy and adequacy of the resources e.g. (physical, human, infrastructure, and budget) and  consideration is given for students from other programmes or even from other NEIs,  utilizing the facility. Therefore, it is not a matter of an NEI applying for a specific number of students and the Council of SANC automatically accrediting such numbers, as it would be irresponsible to do that.

The comment made by Mediclinic`s Executive, Hendrica Ngoepe that “the situation was exacerbated by most professional Nurses not having a postgraduate qualification, meaning they could not meet the criteria for a post basic specialist course” would have to be clarified prior to response thereto.

The SANC would like to clarify several perceptions:

• The Regulations relating to the approval, and the minimum requirements for the education and training of a student leading to registration as a Nurse Specialist or a Midwife Specialist (Government Notice No. 635 of 5 June of 2020), were broadly consulted when it was published for comments by the National Department of Health before promulgation by the Minister. The issues of admission criteria and of Midwifery as a requirement to access the postgraduate diplomas in Nursing, was discussed at length by the Council of SANC. There were contrasting views about Midwifery as a requirement, but eventually the Council of SANC decision was that irrespective of the nature of clinical speciality, Nurses will manage a pregnant woman, women who have recently given birth and women in child-bearing stage. This is to address the country health needs.

• Ms Ngoepe is incorrect to indicate that Nurses have to work for at least a year in the specialised units before being able to register for postgraduate courses. In terms of the Education and Training guidelines for postgraduate diploma programmes, section 7.1.1.4, states that “Experience in the area of specialisation is regarded as an added advantage for the candidates because it would not be possible for all the students who aspire to pursue post graduate Diploma to have the opportunity to have that experience, however Nursing Education Institutions may decide to include additional requirements such as experience in the area of specialization”.

• Ms Ngoepe further makes unfounded statements by indicating that “private Higher Education Institutions had yet to be accredited to offer bachelor programmes”. The SANC can only accredit Nursing programmes that have been submitted and meet all the SANC criteria, requirements and standards. So far it is only one private NEI that has submitted a Bachelor of Nursing Programme, which was evaluated and feedback provided to the NEI in 2021. Ms Ngoepe is aware of the shortcomings of that programme.

• Ms Ngoepe regards the SANC as an obstacle for private Institutions to train more Nurses. This statement is unsubstantiated because the SANC uses the same criteria and standards for both public and private NEIs.

• Ms Toy Vermaak, Netcare Education Manager’s comment indicating that the SANC has not provided rationale for restrictions on training of Nurse Specialists, is  deliberately untrue. She is aware of the shortcomings of the submitted programmes e.g. where there is no lecturer with the relevant specialisation available and the SANC is expected to accredit such programmes. It would be reckless for the SANC`s Council to do so.

• The SANC has engaged with the Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA) members on several occasions and listened to their challenges and agreed on the way forward. Their challenge regarding the registration of Nurses from India refers. The SANC has never registered a Nurse directly from India who has an additional qualification in any of the clinical and non-clinical Postgraduate Diplomas in Nursing. All Indian Nurses registered with the SANC are registered as General Nurses and/or Midwives (where applicable). In South Africa there are Registered Nurses with experience in all specialisations, but they are not classified as Nurse Specialists or Midwife Specialists. Therefore, the SANC cannot have different standards for Indian Nurses only. The updated Critical Skills list of 2022 covered in the Immigration Act (Act No. 13 00f 2002) includes only specialised qualifications. The SANC is not responsible to grant permission to HASA to recruit Nurses. The SANC only processes the applications in line with the relevant legislation and policy documents. The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that was initially signed between the SANC and HASA has lapsed. One condition was that HASA members should train their own specialist Nurses.

• In terms of the Regulations relating to examinations of the South African Nursing Council (Government Notice No. R.7 of 8 January 1993 as amended), the Council may determine where the examination may be written. It needs to be noted that the Council has no accredited NEI in India. HASA members are allowed to conduct examination in India as a special concession due to judicial processes.

• The issue of articulation for Nurses who trained under legacy Nursing qualifications to Higher Education Qualifications Sub-Framework aligned Nursing qualifications is currently receiving attention from the SANC and CHE. The allegations that the SANC and CHE are not working together is maliciously misleading. Meetings are held regularly to discuss matters of mutual interest.

• The issue of migration of Nurses to other countries is an individual choice which may not be attributed to the SANC as failures.

Says Ms Jeanneth Nxumalo, SANC Acting Registrar and CEO:  “The SANC remains committed to ensure that competent Nurses are produced who will render quality and safe Nursing care to the population of South Africa and thus protecting the public in matters relating to Nursing services.”

ENDS

Issued by:

Mrs. Adri van Eeden

Senior Manager:  Communication and Marketing

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. Jeanneth Nxumalo

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]

28 December 2022

FOR ATTENTION   : NEWS EDITOR

SUBJECT                   : SANC mourns the passing of nurses in the gas tanker explosion in Boksburg

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The South African Nursing Council (SANC) mourns the tragic passing on, of Nurses from OR Tambo Memorial Hospital during the explosion of the gas tanker in Boksburg, East of Johannesburg. Their passing on, is a loss not only to their families, but also to the country and the Nursing fraternity as a whole.

These Nurse practitioners were contributing to the betterment of lives of the patients/ community by applying the competencies they have acquired through the years.

“To the families, friends and colleagues, as the SANC we firmly stand by them and convey our heartfelt condolences in this time of profound grief”, said Ms Jeanneth Nxumalo, SANC Acting Registrar & CEO.

ENDS

Issued by:

Ms Party Day Moloi

Acting Senior Manager: Communication and Marketing

South African Nursing Council

E-mail:  [email protected].

Website:  www.sanc.co.za

Tel:  083 496 8366

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:

Ms. Jeanneth Nxumalo

Acting Registrar and CEO:  SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Ms P Moloi on Tel. 083 496 8366 or email:  [email protected]

4 August 2022

FOR ATTENTION   : NEWS EDITOR

SUBJECT                   : Training of Nurses 

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The South African Nursing Council (SANC) has taken note of comments made in the media, specifically in the Business Day (03 August 2022), regarding the training of Nurses in South Africa and reference made to student numbers for the private sector/hospitals.

The South African Nursing Council is a statutory body entrusted to set and maintain standards of Nursing Education and Practice in the Republic of South Africa, to protect the public. It is an autonomous, financially independent, statutory body operating under the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005). Furthermore, the SANC may accredit Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) and nursing education programmes. This is subject to compliance with set criteria, requirements and conditions. The SANC is statutorily obligated to ensure quality Nursing Education and Training is provided by such accredited NEIs.

Apparent statements made at the HASA Conference this past week that “the SA Nursing Council is blocking the training of new Nurses by preventing private hospitals from taking on more students” are factually incorrect, untrue and irresponsible.

Says Ms Sizeni Mchunu, Registrar and CEO of the SANC: “The decision on the number of students allowed at any NEI and clinical facility is made after consideration of various factors, ensuring that quality Nursing Education and Training will be provided by such accredited NEIs.”

The SANC needs to clarify that the approval regarding the number of students per intake is determined by several related factors which include the following, among others: 

• Physical resources – the number and capacity of the classrooms including classroom equipment, the capacity and equipment of the clinical laboratory that will be used by the students as well as the size of the library and relevant study material.
• Clinical Facilities
• The number and size of health establishments that are used for clinical placement of students and number of students to be placed as stipulated by the respective Provincial Departments of Health, depending on the type of the Nursing programme to be offered;
• The number of other Nursing Education Institutions placing students in the same clinical facilities;
• The number and types of primary healthcare centres and statistics to achieve the Exit Level outcomes of the respective programmes;
• Clinical Facilitator: Student ratio, in line with SANC guideline requirements for the respective programmes; and
• Bed occupancy.

The SANC cannot act irresponsibly by having more students than patients in clinical facilities, thus compromising the quality of clinical learning as well as the safety of patients.

• Human Resources
• Lecturer: student ratio, in line with the respective programmes’ guidelines (lecturers should have appropriate qualifications and cannot teach the same level of programme outcomes that they have achieved);
• Lecturers should be licensed to practice as nurses (Annual Practising Certificate); and
• Years of teaching and clinical experience for the lecturers and clinical facilitators.

The SANC further notes HASA’s apparent statement that “the SANC’s restriction on the number of training places offered by private hospitals is undermining a HASA proposal tabled at the Presidential Jobs Summit in 2018 and that the private sector needs 50,000 Nurses to help tackle SA’s critical shortage of healthcare professionals”.

The statement in its generality is considered as gravely opportunistic and condescending, considering that each application for programme accreditation is evaluated on its own merit and strength.

The SANC is duty bound to ensure that quality Nursing Education and Training is provided in protection of the public and cannot compromise this obligation for any other interest outside production of safe and competent practitioners for patient safety.

The apparent statement made by Netcare Nursing Education Executive Toy Vermaak i.e. “Several years ago had their annual intake slashed by the SANC, with no rationale given for the change” is irresponsible and deliberately misleading. Ms Vermaak intentionally leaves out critical information, that she is well aware of, relating to the changes in Nursing Education and Training as informed by overall changes in the Higher Education landscape, a competency of the Department of Higher Education. Ms Vermaak is also aware of the rationale and reasons for such determinations.

ENDS

Issued by:

Mrs. Adri van Eeden

Senior Manager:  Communication and Marketing

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]

12 May 2021

FOR ATTENTION   :  NEWS EDITOR

SUBJECT                   :  INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY 2021

DATE                           :  11 MAY 2021

International Nurses Day is celebrated globally on 12 May every year, which is the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth. The theme for 2021 is
Nurses: A Voice to Lead – A vision for future healthcare. The theme is set by the International Council of Nurses (ICN) and has the objective of showing how nursing will look into the future as well as how the profession will transform the next stage of healthcare.

The ICN emphasises that this global COVID-19 pandemic has shown the world the important role that nurses play in keeping people healthy across the lifespan. In 2021, the ICN will focus on the changes to and innovations in nursing and how this will ultimately shape the future of healthcare.

According to ICN, the International Nurses Day 2021 theme reflects on the impact of COVID-19 on the health system and the nursing profession and how these might be affected into the future. Nurses, as the largest healthcare profession, must play an integral part in planning the future of healthcare.

Ms Sizo Mchunu, SANC Registrar & CEO says: “As the statutory body, the SANC is committed to assist in ensuring production of competent nurse practitioners who will provide scientific, comprehensive, and quality nursing to patients, families and communities within the legal and ethical framework.

It is vital that the country trains enough nurse practitioners to replace those retiring so that the country continues to deliver quality care”, says Ms Mchunu.

Working as a nurse means you will be working shifts and long hours and night duty, dedicated solely to the well-being of the patients in your care. You will also work closely with other health professionals such as Doctors, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists and Dieticians, to mention a few.

The value of a true nurse lies in the ability to show respect for human life and dignity, social justice and integrity, and total commitment to patients and other healthcare users.

If you are that person, the nursing profession is awaiting you…

Visit www.sanc.co.za for the list of accredited Nursing Education Institutions and make the correct career choice today.

The SANC salutes all nurses who, despite daily challenges, always put the lives of the patients first.  We wish you a happy and blessed International Nurses Day.

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]

25 August 2020

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] 

12 June 2020

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] 

11 May 2020

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] 

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