The Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in KwaZulu-Natal is noting with concern the blatant disregard of circulars by many human resources managers and CEOs across the province whereby circulars instructing them to absorb nurses who have completed their community service, as well as promotion of those who have studied to improve their ranking, are not implemented as issued.
This attitude does not only hinder service delivery but shows that the managers in different institutions are not towing the line or respecting the decisions from the Head of Department.
Late in 2018, a circular was issued by the Department of Health in KZN instructing that nurses who have bridged from enrolled nurses (ENs) to become Professional Nurses (PNs) be translated to professional nurses positions when these positions become available through retirement, resignations and deaths at the institutions.
Circular 77 of 2018 clearly stated that general stream posts should be given to ENs awaiting to become PNs trained by the department and by private sector. We have learnt with dismay that about 80% of health institutions are disregarding this circular. Some are saying they will not translate those nurses who trained without their permission. We believe that this is pure arrogance by HR managers supported by some nurse managers who still continue to oppress nurses in this day and age.
The circular does not talk about whether a nurse was given permission to study or not, but it says those who have studied to improve their ranking be translated following the criteria cited in the said circular. We strongly believe that the Department should take drastic steps against those managers who continuously treat the department institutions as their own, so that this tendency stops with immediate effect.
DENOSA is in the process of requesting urgent bilateral meetings with district managers across the province to hear from them on why managers in institutions are doing as they please by disregarding department guidelines in combating the gross shortage of nurses in this province. Why is it difficult to replace a nurse who resign, die or retire but expect those who are left behind to carry the full load of work without enough staff?
Here, DENOSA is not asking for the creation of new posts; we are simply querying as to why vacated positions, which were budgeted for, are not filled.
DENOSA in the province is embarking on this exercise of engaging with district managers so that affected institutional managers account for their attitude before we escalate this issue to the office of the HOD and the MEC.
We wish to urge all nurses affected to work with us in identifying those managers in different institutions across KZN who have developed this unbecoming attitude of thinking that they are above the department.
Out of 11 districts in the province, only three districts are trying to abide by circulars although the rate of translation in those districts is still slow but we acknowledge that they are complying.
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Issued by the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA) in KwaZulu-Natal
For more information, contact:
Mandla Shabangu, DENOSA Provincial Secretary
Mobile: 071 643 3369 Tel: 031 305 1417