08 January 2017

Media statement by the Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi regarding the update on the Listeriosis outbreak in South Africa

Good morning ladies and gentlemen.

Let me take this opportunity to thank you for joining us this morning

Firstly, let me introduce Prof Lucille Blumberg, Specialist Microbiologist, and Dr Juno Thomas, Head of the Centre for Enteric Diseases – both are from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), Dr Rufaro Chatora (Country Representative from the World Health Organization (WHO)), Mr Mooketsa Ramasodi (Acting Director General for the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF)), Mr Lionel October (Director General for the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI)), and Ms Tiny Rennie (Acting Director-General of the Department of Health).

This media conference is about updating the nation on the current outbreak of listeriosis in South Africa. 

Again, I must emphasise that listeriosis is a serious, but preventable and treatable disease caused by the bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes. The bacteria are widely distributed in nature and can be found in soil, water, vegetation and the faeces of some animals. 

Animal products (including meat, meat products, dairy products), seafood and fresh produce such as fruits and vegetables can be contaminated from these sources.

To understand where we stand now, it will be important for me to do a quick recap of what transpired at the last press conference which we held on 5 December last year in this venue.

We informed you that tracking back from 1st January 2017, as of 29 November 2017, there were a total of 557 laboratory-confirmed listeriosis cases that were reported from all provinces.

Exactly a month later, i.e as of 5 January 2018, the situation is as follows:

 

There are 727 laboratory-confirmed cases that occurred in the country since January 2017. This means that since the last press conference of 5 December 2017, a total of 170 extra cases emerged.

Of these 170, a total of 51 had already occurred before 5 December 2017, only that we are discovering them now as the search continues, hence they were captured retrospectively.

Therefore, there are 119 new cases that occurred since our last press conference.

Let me remind you that searching for laboratory-confirmed cases is not the same as finding the actual patient. 

After discovering a positive test in a particular laboratory we hence have to start tracing the patient from the health facility that had sent the specimen.

It is very difficult and a tedious process to follow these patients.

As you may remember, by the 1st press conference on 5 December 2017, there were 36 people who were traced and were found to have passed on.

Now out of the total of 727 laboratory-confirmed cases which we know about, we were only able to trace 134 actual patients. 134/727 is only 18%.

This means that we still have a very long way to go in searching. Out of this 134 traced patients, 61 had passed on.
Of the new cases, i.e of the 119 new cases found since 5 December 2017, we were only able to trace 5 and 3 of these have passed on. These 3 are already counted in the total of the 61 deceased.

We know that in all major Listeriosis epidemics that occurred in various parts of the world, the mortality rate is usually high, sometimes higher than 30% despite the fact that Listeria monocytogenes is treatable. This is because it is a very virulent organism, especially to neonates.

As far as distribution in the country is concerned we have the following situation:

Gauteng still no. 1 at 61% (442/727) – in December it was 62% (345/557;

Western Cape is still no. 2 at 13% (92/727) – in December it was 13% (71/557);

KwaZulu Natal is still no. 3 at 7% (51/727) – in December it was 7% (37/557);

65% (473/723) are occurring in the public sector – in December it was 66% and 35% (251/724) are occurring in the private sector – in December it was 34%. 
Hence no change in the public/private distribution.

RECENT DEVELOPMENTS 

Since 5 December 2017, the Department of Health amended the list of notifiable diseases to include Listeriosis. Prior to this outbreak, Listeriosis was not a notifiable condition.

For a disease to be notifiable, it has to meet at least two (2) of five (5) qualifying criteria:

1) The disease must be contagious/communicable;
2) Rapid spread;
3) Unusual or unexpected behaviour;
4) Risk of spilling across borders;
5) Risk of restriction to business or travel across borders

It is now evident that Listeriosis does qualify in at least 2 of the criteria, i.e Rapid spread and unusual or unexpected behaviour.

It is for this reason that the Department of Health introduced a new policy of making Listeriosis notifiable and this is appearing in Government Gazette No. 41330 of 15 December 2017.

We appeal to all health workers to do the following:

• Report all cases of Listeriosis in terms of reporting procedures applicable to all notifiable diseases;
• Complete case investigation forms for patients with Listeriosis and submit these to the NICD – details are available on the NICD website

GENOME SEQUENCING ANALYSIS
In their efforts to scientifically trace the source of the outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes, a whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis is done. WGS is a DNA-fingerprinting analysis to see whether particular organisms are related and are of the same sequence type. To do this, the NICD uses isolates from 3 different sources:
• Clinical isolates: this is obtained from the blood of a sick patient;
• Food isolates: this is obtained from the food that is found in the patient’s home or any other locality like food production sites;
• Environmental isolates: these are obtained from the environment where food is produced.
This work is ongoing and is stretches back from the 1st of January 2017, and as of 3 January 2018, a total of 337 isolates have been sequenced to date. 
73% (247/337) are clinical isolates.
22% (74/337) are food isolates
5% (16/337) are food production environment isolates.

The clinical isolates are represented by 9 sequence types which are ST1, ST101, ST2, ST219, ST5, ST54, ST6, ST8, ST876. However, 91% (225/247) of these clinical isolates are sequence type 6 (ST6) and are very closely related, representing a single strain of Listeria monocytogenes.

THE CONCLUSION IS THEN THAT THE STRAIN FOR THIS PRESENT OUTBREAK WE ARE EXPERIENCING IS ST6.

This ST6 strain has been identified in isolates from all 9 provinces, and this finding supports the current working hypothesis, of a single source of food contamination causing the outbreak, i.e a single widely consumed food product or multiple food products produced at a single facility.

The food and environmental samples are represented by 18 sequence types, 4 of which (ST1, ST101, ST2, and ST5) are also STs represented in the clinical isolates. However, no ST6 food or environmental isolates have been identified to date.
In simple language, it means we cannot yet link the clinical isolates obtained from patients to a particular foodstuff or a particular food production site environment.

In their vigilance and continuing search for the source of Listeria outbreak, Environmental Health Practitioners from the City of Tshwane in December 2017 investigated a Tshwane patient hospitalised with Listeriosis. 

A chicken sample collected from the fridge at the patient’s home tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. This chicken was traced back to the store, and from there traced back to the abattoir it was sourced from (Sovereign Foods). 

The Environmental Health Practitioners visited the abattoir and collected food and environmental samples, several of which tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. As a precaution, the abattoir was served with a prohibition notice pending further investigations. 

The abattoir-related Listeria monocytogenes was subjected to whole genome sequencing (WGS). All the samples collected from the food and environment at the abattoir have up to so far failed to pick up the outbreak strain ST6. However, other strains with potential to cause disease were picked up, hence the prohibition notice for public health safety. 

At this juncture, we cannot conclude that the Abattoir called Sovereign Foods is the source the present outbreak. 

But we can conclude that it has Listeria, which can cause illness, and hence it was in the best interest of public health that the Abattoir was prohibited from further preparing food pending the cleaning of the environment and meeting certain conditions given to them.

What concerns us more at this moment is that this particular abattoir was closed two-months ago by DAFF following the discovery of unhygienic conditions and practices, which of course were not necessarily related to Listeria. These were preceded by Environmental Health investigations which were conducted earlier in July 2017 by Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality the findings of which were existence of conditions that constitute a nuisance in the facility. 

These led to delayed issuance of Certificate of Acceptability at the time until such time that the corrective measures were implemented. 

A special meeting was held with all Senior Managers in GP on the 15th of December 2017 to inspect all food premises within the Province with specific target of the food processing areas and retail foods.
The Director General of the National Department of Health has formally requested food industry stakeholders to submit details of Listeria-positive food items, environmental swabs and Listeria isolates to the NICD. Whilst several stakeholders have been forthcoming with information, not all stakeholders have responded as yet. 

Environmental Health Practitioners from Municipalities and Provinces where positive cases are reported should embark on case investigation and trace the sources of infection. 

Clinical listeriosis management guidelines are also available on the website, and the NICD continues to operate its 24-hour hotline to support healthcare workers.

Work has commenced on implementation of plan for inspection of food processing facilities including packaging at distribution plants for bigger retailers and inspected by Environmental Health Practitioners from Municipalities initially within most affected Provinces (Gauteng, Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal) and samples taken to assess the quality of the processing systems. 
The results will be used to guide public health interventions for listeriosis prevention and control.


A multisectoral outbreak response team (MNORT) led by the National Department of Health, and includes the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishery (DAFF), the Department of Trade and Industry, the NICD and other relevant stakeholders will continue to monitor and coordinate the outbreak response activities.

All South Africans should practice basic food hygiene principles as outlined in the World Health Organization’s ‘Five Keys to Safer Food’ programme. The core ‘commandments’ of food hygiene are – 

1. Keep clean: wash your hands before handling food and often during food preparation
2. Separate raw and cooked: separate raw meat, poultry and seafood from other foods
3. Cook thoroughly: cook foods thoroughly, especially meat, poultry, eggs and seafood
4. Keep food at safe temperatures: refrigerate and reheat foods correctly
5. Use safe water and raw materials: use safe water or make it safe (by boiling); choose foods processed for safety such as pasteurised dairy products; wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly, especially if eaten raw.

SPECIAL REQUEST TO HEALTH WORKERS AND THE PUBLIC AT LARGE
In December 2017 we reported that whilst Listeria can affect anybody from any socio-economic backgrounds, there are certain categories of people who are specifically vulnerable. These are neonates, i.e less than 28 days of life, pregnant women, the elderly, and people with compromised immune systems – e.g people living with HIV and AIDS, Diabetes, and chronic diseases like cancer, kidney and liver diseases.
However, when we view statistics of affected people, we note that of all these vulnerable groups, neonates are the worst affected, if we analyse it by age group from birth to 93 years. In this case, neonates alone account for close to 40% of these cases.
Of note is that of all the neonates that get affected, 96% had early onset disease, i.e from birth to 6 days after birth. It is clear that these neonates are simply vulnerable due to their pregnant mothers. They are infected by their mothers at birth.
Due to this high number of neonates, a special request to health workers and the public at large, is to pay special attention to all pregnant women. Have a high index of suspicion whenever dealing with a pregnant woman or a neonate. Be alert all the time, be it at antenatal clinic, labour ward, and neonatology units.

There are 1,2 million pregnant women in South Africa annually. In 2014, we launched a special programme called MomConnect, whereby we register every pregnant woman on the cellphone. We send them messages every two weeks commensurate with their period of pregnancy. After birth we switch over the messages to the care of the newborn. Since that period, we have registered 1,96 million pregnant women in that programme. I have now given instruction that all of them be sent instruction about Listeria. We are calling on more pregnant women to register on MomConnect, be they in private or public, because it is during times like this when we are able to reach them quicker through messages.

I thank you


For media enquiries, please contact:

Mr Popo Maja
Head of Communications
National Department of Health
Cell: 0725853219/012 395 9591

Foster Mohale
Director: Media Relations
National Department of Health
Cell: 0724323792/012 395 8180
Email: Foster.mohale@health.gov.za 

 

FOR ATTENTION:	News Editors
SUBJECT:	SANC Annual Practicing Fees due by 31 December 2017
	31 October 2017

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) would like to remind nursing practitioners to pay their annual practicing fees for 2018 by no later than 31 December 2017. Upon full payment being received into the bank account of the SANC, the SANC issues Annual Practicing Certificates (APCs) to individual nurse practitioners who have paid their fees on time. The SANC will remove the names of practitioners who have not paid their full registration fees timeously in terms of the Nursing Act, 2005 on 1 January 2018.

Unlike other professionals, nursing practitioners are afforded the opportunity to make full payment for their APCs during a 6-month period, commencing from 1 July every year. The APC fees for 2018 were published in the Government Gazette in June 2017 and were communicated by way of circulars, SMS messages to nursing practitioners as well as letters sent to employers.

Says Ms Sizeni Mchunu, Registrar and CEO of the SANC: “Practitioners can pay their annual fees at any First National Bank (FNB) branch in the country. In addition, the SANC is again undertaking several outreach programmes from July to December 2017 in all nine provinces where practitioners can pay and receive their certificates immediately. To date 72 273 practitioners out of 283 589 have paid their annual fees for 2018.”

The SANC normal annual practicing fees have been kept affordable as per previous years, and for 2018 are:

Registered Nurses and Midwives	R630.00
Enrolled Nurses and Midwives	R380.00
Enrolled Nursing Auxiliaries	R270.00

Persons who are over 60 and 64 years of age on 1 January 2018 receive a 25% and 50% reduction respectively e.g. persons over 64 years of age pay the following fees:

Registered Nurses and Midwives	R310.00
Enrolled Nurses and Midwives	R190.00
Enrolled Nursing Auxiliaries	R130.00

The restoration fees however, which are penalties for late payment, are regulated under the Regulations Regarding Fees and Fines Payable to the South African Nursing Council, Regulation R.170 as promulgated on 8 March 2013. These fees are thus higher than the annual practicing fees. It should be noted that if nursing practitioners pay their annual fees within the 6-month allocated time as described above and payment is received into the bank account of the SANC by 31 December 2017, that the practitioners would avoid having to pay a restoration fee.

In addition, payment prior to the deadline enables the SANC to mail the practitioner’s certificate (APC) earlier and not during the Christmas period which is the busiest time of the year for the South African Post Office.

“The SANC has made an eRegister available to employers that serves as sufficient proof for an employer to verify that nurse practitioners are registered for the relevant year should they not have received their physical APC on time. Using this service would make it unnecessary for nurses to travel to pick up the physical APC from the SANC offices in Pretoria. The eRegister is available on the SANC website at www.sanc.co.za/eRegister.htm,” says Ms Mchunu.

                                                                     ENDS

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:

Ms S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

Issued by:

Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communications
South African Nursing Council 
E-mail : avaneeden@sanc.co.za
Website: www.sanc.co.za 

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on  email: avaneeden@sanc.co.za

 

 

FOR ATTENTION: News Editors SUBJECT: SANC organises provincial outreach to nurses in nine provinces DATE: 31 August 2017   The South African Nursing Council (SANC) will be conducting provincial outreach visits to nurses in nine provinces, starting on 4 September 2017. Says Ms Sizeni Mchunu, Acting Registrar of the SANC: “The purpose of the Provincial Roadshow is to offer limited walk-in services such as payment of annual fees, selling of distinguishing devices, providing information related to the SANC, etc. During the 2016 Roadshow, 42 620 receipts were issued across nine provinces, indicating that the profession is embracing this initiative.” The services that will be offered during the roadshow include: PAYMENT OF ANNUAL FEES OTHER SERVICES • Nurses are requested to provide the SANC officials with their SANC reference numbers rather than ID numbers for the processing of annual fees payments.  • There is no limitation for the number of people you can pay for. However, one must ensure that the daily limit is increased with their respective banks. • The SANC further request nurses to avoid using more than one bank card for payments because that delays the process. It would be appreciated / better if they deposit the money into one person’s account to save time. • If a person has paid at the bank already, the outreach staff cannot print their Annual Practising Certificates (APCs) as these will be sent to the nurses through the post. They will only be processing payments done on the day of the outreach. • Restorations cannot be processed immediately and any payment received for restoration will only be processed by the SANC head office after the visit. Proof of payment in the form of a white receipt will be provided and the original Annual Practising Certificate will follow later. SELLING OF DISTINGUISHING DEVICES • The quantity of distinguishing devices will be limited to ONE pair per person. Nurses are also requested to bring their original green identity books/smart cards for verification. • If a nurse is buying on behalf of his or her colleague, he/she must also bring his/her original green identity book. • If a nurse is buying on behalf of his or her colleague, the distinguishing devices form must be completed, on both sides, and signed by the owner. Please note that if the form is incorrectly completed, the request WILL NOT be processed.  • The owner must attach the certified copy of his or her ID and the quantity will be limited to one pair only if buying for someone else. • If a person has ordered the distinguishing devices through the bank, Outreach staff cannot issue that order, it will be sent through the post.  The provincial outreach plan for 2017 is published below – be sure to diarise the dates! PROVINCES  Kwa Zulu- Natal North West Eastern Cape Northern Cape Western Cape Free State Limpopo Mpumalanga Gauteng WEEK 1 04 – 08 Sept 11 – 15 Sept 27 – 29 Sept 9-13 Oct 16 – 20 Oct 23 -27 Oct 08 – 10 Nov 13 – 17 Nov  27-29 Nov WEEK 2 18 -22 Sept  N/A 2 – 6 Oct N/A 30 Oct – 01 Nov N/A 20 – 24 Nov N/A 04 – 08 Dec   Says Ms Mchunu: “Unlike other professionals, nursing practitioners have six (6) months to pay their annual fee (i.e. from 1 July to 31 December every year). The SANC would like to remind nurses that their annual fee is due by 31 December. Failure to meet this deadline will mean that nurses will have to pay a restoration fee. The SANC has full understanding of the challenges facing its members on a national basis, and therefore has made an eRegister available to employers,” Ms Mchunu reiterated. “The eRegister is sufficient proof for an employer to check if all nursing practitioners are registered for the relevant year.”                                                                      ENDS Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted: Ms S Mchunu Acting Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council   Issued by: Mrs. Adri van Eeden Senior Manager: Marketing and Communications South African Nursing Council  E-mail : avaneeden@sanc.co.za Website: www.sanc.co.za  For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on  email: avaneeden@sanc.co.za

15 November 2016

TO:	News Editors
FROM:	South African Nursing Council
SUBJECT:	Nursing Education and Training and Nursing Education Institutions in South Africa

 

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) would like to reiterate that only students that study accredited nursing programs at accredited Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs), will be able to register as students with the SANC, register to write the SANC examinations and ultimately obtain professional registration or enrolment with the South African Nursing Council in the following nurse categories:

•	Registered Nurse
•	Midwife
•	Enrolled Nurse and
•	Enrolled Nursing Auxiliary

 

The SANC is established and functions under the Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005).  In accordance with the provisions of the Act, the SANC regulates nursing education and training by accrediting institutions as Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs), among others.  The SANC further approves all nursing programmes offered by NEIs.  NEIs can offer the approved Nursing Programme/s, provided that they meet the set criteria, comply with the provisions of the relevant regulations and are duly registered by all relevant authorities.  All NEIs that are accredited by the SANC are currently offering legacy nursing qualifications.

Says Ms Sizeni Mchunu, Acting Registrar of the SANC: “The names of all accredited Nursing Education Institutions are published, public and private NEIs per province, on the SANC website at www.sanc.co.za. This is done to assist the public and potential nursing students with the correct information in order to ensure that students do not to register with the institutions that are not duly accredited. Nursing Education Institutions include Universities, Universities of Technology, public Nursing Colleges, public Nursing Schools and private Nursing Schools.

The SANC calls on all student nurses to ensure that their training institution is accredited and that they are registered with the SA Nursing Council as students, in terms of Section 32 of the Nursing Act.  The SANC issues a registration certificate to the NEI for each student upon submission of required documentation by the NEI.  Such certificate should be given to the student by the NEI.  Currently the Council is working on a system that will ensure that the certificate is issued electronically to both the NEI and the student simultaneously.

Students are encouraged to check whether they have been registered with the SANC by contacting them at Tel. 012-420 1000.”

The legacy nursing qualifications that are currently offered by NEIs are gradually being phased out so that new ones that are in line with current legislation both in Nursing and Higher Education can be phased-in.  The transition lies with the changes in the nursing legislation and higher education.

The phasing-out process affects both public and private NEIs.  It must be noted that no NEIs have been closed by the SANC as a result of this process.

The gradual process of phasing-out the legacy qualifications has started with two of these qualifications i.e. Course leading to enrolment as a Nurse and course leading to enrolment as a Nursing Auxiliary.  Both these have seen a massive overproductions accompanied by a higher unemployment rate as has been shown by a survey that was conducted by the SANC in 2015.

The last intake date for the courses mentioned above was 30 June 2015.  Communication with Nursing Education Institutions and other stakeholders within the sector was sent by the Nursing Council through a circular 13 of 2014 as well as the formal notice that was published in the Government Gazette R.928 of October 2015.

Phasing out of the legacy nursing qualifications affects both the public and private NEI’s equally.

ENDS

 

For more information or to arrange for an interview, please contact:

Mrs Adri van Eeden
Tel : (012) 426 9542
email avaneeden@sanc.co.za

3 March 2016

TO:	Nursing Practitioners
FROM:	Acting Registrar and CEO
SUBJECT:	Illegal Intermediaries

 

Kindly take note that any service provider offering services to obtain your Annual Practicing Certificate on your behalf is doing so without the approval of the South African Nursing Council.

SANC Management strongly advise against nursing practitioners making use of such service providers as you are providing outsiders with your private information that can be used in fraudulent activities. You are also paying unnecessarily for a service. Please see the correct payment options as per the official SANC communication.

Kindly also specifically take note that the service provider using the name “SANC Assist” is an illegal service provider using the official intellectual property of the South African Nursing Council (the abbreviation “SANC”) illegally and is no way attached to or approved by the SANC. The South African Nursing Council will take no responsibility whatsoever for any nursing practitioners who loses their Annual Practicing Certificates, or whose Annual Practicing Certificates is used in fraudulent activities, as a result of their making use of the services of the “SANC Assist”.

Your kind cooperation in this regard would be highly appreciated as we do not want to see any of our nursing practitioners suffer harm.

 

Yours sincerely

(Signed)

Mrs Thandi Manganye 
Acting Registrar & CEO
South African Nursing Council 

 

TO:	All Media
FOR ATTENTION:	News Editors
SUBJECT:	International Nurses’ Day
DATE:	12 May 2015

 

MESSAGE FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL

INTERNATIONAL NURSES’ DAY- 12 MAY 2015

 

The 12th of May is a day when nurses globally reflect on and celebrate the meaning and value of their contribution in the health care delivery. The theme for the 2015 International Nurses day is:

Nurses: A Force for Change, care effective, cost effective.

The function of the nursing profession is predominantly caring rather than cure. This function includes prevention of disease and promotion of health, care of the sick including rehabilitation to ensure quality of life to those who are affected already. This function can contribute enormously to cost containment as the old saying that “prevention is better than cure” thereby reducing the burden of disease that is haunting our health care system. The recent budget speech by the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, has emphasized prevention of diseases and promotion of health as central to the 2015/16 budget to strengthen our health care system. It stands to reason therefore that nurses have to lead the health care delivery this year through efficient service delivery, effective management, effective health workforce and the value of nursing. The foundation has been laid through the primary health care approach adopted by the country and recently the primary health care re-engineering with nurses forming the predominant workforce. Let us, therefore as nurses, claim our caring and cost effective position while carrying the burden of our health care system through task shifting. All these are actually articulated in the Strategic Plan for Nurse Education, Training and Practice which was launched in 2013 conceived from the nursing summit which was attended overwhelmingly by nurses.

The South African Nursing Council pay tribute to Nurses and Midwives at all health care settings who are providing the much needed quality care to the health care users, sometimes under very difficult circumstances. It is unfortunate however, that the good is often masked by the bad. Therefore let us reflect on the quality of nursing. We are attacked from all angles about the quality of nursing provided in recent times. Are we still proud of our profession? Do we still make time to reflect on the values guiding the nursing profession in education and practice? Are we cognizant of the immense responsibility of people’s lives that nurses bear? Please consult the Code of Ethics for Nursing in South Africa on our website https://www.sanc.co.za/professional_practice.htm.

 

ENDS

 

Issued by:

Prof BR Bhengu
Chairperson
South African Nursing Council 
Cecelia Makiwane Building 
PO Box 1123 
Pretoria 
0001

For more information, contact Mr. Sihle Mafambane (Communications Officer) on: 
012 4269542

TO:	All Media
FOR ATTENTION:	News Editors
SUBJECT:	South African Nursing Council says No to Xenophobia
DATE:	24 April 2015

 

SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL SAYS NO TO XENOPHOBIA 

 

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) condemns the attack on foreign nationals. South Africans need to be reminded that South Africa belongs to everyone who lives in it irrespective of the country of birth and also that we form part of the global community.

There are foreign nationals who are registered as nurses with the South African Nursing Council and together with the South African nurses are providing the much needed nursing care in our health establishments.

SANC would like to encourage all nurses in their different work environments to treat their colleagues and health care users who are foreign nationals with dignity.

SANC would also like to refer the nurses to the Code of Ethics for nurses in South Africa on our website.

 

ENDS

 

Issued by:

The Acting Registrar & CEO
South African Nursing Council 
Cecelia Makiwane Building 
PO Box 1123 
Pretoria 
0001

For more information contact:
Communications office on 012 426 9542

15 August 2014 ATTENTION: NEWS EDITORS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PRESCRIBING OF MORPHINE BY PROFESSIONAL NURSES The South African Nursing Council has noted with concern a statement by DENOSA which implies that the Council is withholding “rights” of Professional Nurses to prescribe Morphine.  We regard the statement as reckless and misleading and we would like to provide clarity as follows: The current provision is for authorised Professional Nurses to prescribe medicine from Schedule 1 to Schedule 4.  Note has to be taken that Morphine is a Schedule 6 drug, therefore outside the current provisions pertaining to the prescribing of medicine by the Professional Nurses.  It must be further noted that for a Professional Nurse, to qualify as an authorised prescriber, she/he must comply not only with the Nursing Act 2005 (Act No. 33 of 2005), but also with other legislation such as the Medicine and Related Substances Control Act (Act No. 101 of 1965) and the Pharmacy Act (Act No. 53 of 1974).  The aforesaid authorisation is issued by the Director General (DG) of Health to the practitioners who met the prescribed requirements stated in the Medicine and Related Substance Control Act 1965 (Act No. 101 of 1965).  In this respect we find the statement by DENOSA not only misleading to the Public and the practitioners but also devoid of truth and material facts.  In our quest to address issues relating to nurse prescribers, SANC has just finalized the review of the current Nursing Act and will be working with all relevant stakeholders such as the Medicines Control Council (MCC), the National Department of Health and the Pharmacy Council in an attempt to find an amicable solution for authorization of Professional Nurses and Midwives as prescribers for certain schedules of medicines in a way that will be consistent with our mandate to protect the Public whilst also ensuring that we fully support Primary Health Care (PHC) re-engineering and the role played by Professional Nurses and Midwives in delivery of health care services in South Africa. This will ensure that Professional Nurses and Midwives who successfully completed a prescribed programme or prescribed supplementary courses are able to prescribe medicine in accordance with the prescripts of the Nursing Act and other relevant legislation.  Our approach as SANC is not aimed at addressing the challenges faced by Professional Nurses in palliative care only, but also to address challenges faced by the Nurse and Midwife Specialists working in different clinical settings and disciplines who are confronted with the same challenges on a daily basis.   ENDS Issued by The Registrar & CEO:  Mr Tendani Mabuda South African Nursing Council Cecilia Makiwane Building P O Box 1123 Pretoria 0001 For more information contact: Ms Party Day Moloi Tel : 012 426 9542 / 083 496 8366 Fax : 012 426 9554 / 086 231 9094

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9 May 2014 ATTENTION: NEWS EDITORS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE INTERNATIONAL NURSES’ DAY 2014 MESSAGE FROM THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL The 12th of May is a day when nurses globally reflect on and celebrate the meaning and value of their contribution in the health care delivery.  This celebration emanates from the birthday of the Nursing Icon, Florence Nightingale, who made great strides in the development of nursing as a profession. Nurses form the largest health care workforce hence often referred to, in many spheres, as the backbone of the health care system.  This is indeed demonstrated by nurses coming to the rescue of the health care system in the form of task shifting to meet the dynamic contextual challenges.  For example, when the HIV/AIDS pandemic set in, the nurses began to maintain and later initiate ART under the banner of NIMART.  The NHI is currently being implemented and the nurses are playing the greatest role to ensure universal access and affordability of health care to the South African Community.  The quadruple disease burden has required reshaping the role of even the lower categories of nursing to the extent that a need has arisen that the scope of all categories and curriculum be changed to meet the current challenges in South Africa.  It is therefore not surprising that the theme to celebrate this day for 2014 is: “Nurses: A force for change – A vital resource for health” In 2014, the Nurses’ Day coincides with the celebration of the 20 years of democracy which the nurses were part of and aligned themselves with.  Soon after democracy, nurses have formed a democratically elected Nursing Council which has aligned the legislative framework to assist nurses to meet the demands of a health system in transformation.  The South African nurses have been able to meet in numbers to determine their fate in a summit held in 2011, culminating in a compact that gave birth to The Strategic Plan for Nurse Education, Training and Practice 2012/13 – 2016/17.  The Minister of Health, Dr. Motsoaledi has appointed the Chief Nursing Offer to facilitate the implementation of this strategy.  All we need as nurses is to hold hands and find our way forward. The South African Nursing Council supports all the efforts to meet above mentioned challenges.  For example, the Council has realigned the Scopes of Practice and is transforming Nursing Education at all levels using a consultative process with relevant structures.  This includes formalization of a specialist category to support ever shifting tasks for nurses. Most importantly, the South African Nursing Council salutes nurses of this country who despite daily pressures and challenges, continue to prioritize the welfare of their patients and continue to keep the lamp of Florence Nightingale burning.  However, the Council urges the South African nurses to keep in mind that nursing is a noble profession and professionalism and ethics must take centre stage in all our endeavours. The South African Nursing Council hopes, with the support of the South African nurses at all levels and structures, to: Think strategically, act ethically and lead professionally. ENDS Issued by The Chairperson : Prof B R Bhengu South African Nursing Council Cecilia Makiwane Building P O Box 1123 Pretoria 0001 For more information contact Ms Party Day Moloi Tel : 012 426 9542 / 083 496 8366 Fax : 012 426 9554 / 086 231 9094

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10 May 2013 ATTENTION: NEWS EDITORS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE INTERNATIONAL NURSES DAY MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL International Nurses day is celebrated annually on 12th May to commemorate the birth of Florence Nightingale who made a significant contribution towards the nursing profession.  This day also presents nurses globally with an opportunity to remember and reflect on the meaning and value of their contribution in the delivery of health care. The theme for 2013 is Closing the Gap: the Millennium Development Goals: 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 The South African Nursing Council, as the statutory body has developed a range of enabling instruments for nurses to take a lead towards the achievement of the United Nations health related Millennium Development Goals (4, 5 and 6) which focuses on the reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. As carers in the coalface of disease; pain; helplessness and despair, I am also grateful that working together we have indeed made remarkable strides in many areas including the notable successes in reversing the tide of HIV and AIDS. Today our country under the leadership guidance of Honourable President Jacob Zuma is hailed as a shining example having succeeded in putting more than 1, 7 million people on life saving Antiretroviral treatment; on bringing in more than 20 million people to test for HIV and most remarkably reducing the mother to child transmission rate from 8% in 2008 to 3.5 per cent in 2010 and to 2.7 per cent in 2011.  One thing is certain, the above could not have been achieved without the involvement of appropriately skilled committed and compassionate nurses. Today as we celebrate this all important day we also need to be mindful of the fact that our country has a responsibility as directed by the African Union under the auspices of the Campaign on Accelerated Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality in Africa (CARMMA) to ensure that indeed, “No Woman Should Die While Giving Life!”  Again midwives of our country have the expertise, skills and clinical acumen to ensure that both the mother and the new-bon baby come out alive and well to be celebrated as a gift to their families. Our work as nurses in this country is never going to be an easy one due to the fact that the South African health system is predominantly nurse driven.  On behalf of SANC, I salute and commend those nurses who regardless of all challenges encountered within the health care system, still prioritize the wellbeing of the patients.  Thus contributing the long and healthy life for all. ENDS Issued by The Chairperson: Dr JN Makhanya The South African Nursing Council Cecilia Makiwane Building P.O. Box 1123 Pretoria 0001 For more information contact: Ms Party Day Moloi Tel : 012 426 9542 / 083 496 8366 Fax : 012 426 9554 / 086 231 9094

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