DENOSA Gauteng Student Movement is deeply disappointed with the continuing failure of the Gauteng Health Department to pay student nurses full amount to buy uniform and for not paying full salary to community service nurses as agreed during a march and sit-in by affected parties at the department’s offices last year. 

In 2019 the DENOSA Gauteng provincial student movement (GPSM) met on several occasions after the “2019 Gatvol Community Service March” with the Gauteng Department of Health(GDOH) senior management. In these meetings, it was agreed that the 2020 Community Service Professional Nurses would be translated as from the commencement of their community service month and be paid full salaries of community service nurses. 

It was also agreed that the Nursing Students and Community Service Professional Nurses would receive the standardised amount of uniform allowance that all Nursing staff receive in Gauteng and it was implemented in 2019. It must be noted that students on the bursary system received the standardised amount earlier in the year but the students on the persal system are only receiving R1000. This year in February 2020 the current MEC of GDOH called all community service personnel to an orientation programme where he further re-iterated that the community service nurses will be translated into the correct salary as of 01 April 2020. It seems that Gauteng is the only province that continues to face such challenges year in and year out. 

We are in the month of June 2020 and we find ourselves in the very same predicament as the previous community service nurses and student nurses when it comes to the issue of uniform allowance, translation, registration and back pay. More so the current academic students whom are facing a delay in their academic programme remain in the dark even after the minister’s speech. This is evident that the Nursing Education Institutions (NEI’s) in Gauteng have failed to provide any solutions in terms of conducting any academic activity by its failure to erect a student portal, conduct online classes as well as provision of internet data packages. This has added more pressure and stress to nursing students as they voice out their frustrations.

Post Course Completion, every NEI is required to send course completion forms to the South African Nursing Council(SANC) in order for the individual to be registered as a Community Service Professional Nurse.

However Community service nurses in Gauteng find themselves abused by the GDOH as they are expected to function and perform duties of Professional Nurses whilst on student stipend. As stated above when enquiries of correct salary notch are made, The HR department as directed by the GDOH responds by saying that for that to happen they require SANC registration. Ironically, to perform duties SANC registration is not required.

The DENOSA Gauteng Provincial Student Movement DEMAND the following:

1. Erect a student portal and immediately begin with the commencement of online classes through applications such as zoom or Microsoft teams in all NEI’s.

2. Provide data relief packages for all students specifically designed for online learning. NO student should be left behind!

3. Before resumption of contact classes, all NEI’s must be in a state of readiness and meet all the Covid-19 regulation requirements, furthermore full PPE should be provided for students who are expected to return for academic clinical requirements as per the SANC requirements.

4. Upon noting the ‘PERSONNEL CIRCULAR MINUTE 38 OF 2020” We demand that all Student Nurses(persal system) and Community Service Professional Nurses receive the standardised amount of R2964.12 as agreed upon and implemented in 2019.

5. That SANC immediately complete the registration process of Community Service Professional Nurses so that they appear on the SANC register.

6. Community Service Professional Nurses to be immediately translated into the correct salary notch and back paid as done in other provinces while waiting the SANC certificate.

FAILURE FOR THE DEPARTMENT TO MEET OUR DEMANDS WILL LEAD TO:

• A ‘NO UNIFORM STRIKE’

• THE BOYCOTTING OF CLASSES ESPECIALLY IF A STUDENT IS LEFT BEHIND.

• COMMUNITY SERVICE PROFESSIONAL NURSES WILL REPORT TO WORK AND PERFORM DUTIES AS STUDENTS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THEIR PAY SCALE.

WE ARE GIVING THE GDOH 7 CALENDAR DAYS TO RESPOND TO OUR DEMANDS

END

Issued by DENOSA Gauteng Provincial Student Movement.

For more information, contact:

Sumeeth Sheoraj

Provincial Chairperson of DENOSA GPSM

E-mail: sumeethsheoraj@gmail.com

Contact details: 0789110748

Mzwandile Mthembu 

PEC member of DENOSA GPSM

E-mail: mrmthembu85@gmail.com

Contact details: 0749302494