Agency ban 'will cripple nursing'

Durban - South Africa has a critical shortage of nurses, with about 40 000 vacancies in the public healthcare sector alone that cannot be filled.

Banning nursing agencies, included in government's definition of labour brokers, will make the nursing staffing situation impossible, said Ken Ford, a director of the National Hospital Network, representing independent private hospitals and clinics.

In September Cosatu called for a complete ban on the labour broking industry by the year-end claiming all workers had the right to full time employment. But Ford said nursing agencies played a vital role, both for nurses and hospitals.

"The massive nursing shortage is a problem government created, through irrational thinking like closing down nursing clinics," said Ford.

"Many nurses from South Africa are going overseas, adding to the shortage which is even worse when it comes to specialised sisters for strategic units like intensive care, trauma units and neo-natal units," he said.

"About 85% of nurses working for nursing agencies are already permanently employed. It allows them the flexibility to do extra work and earn more money if they choose to," he said.

"And the hospitals would not be able to function without the nursing agencies. Staffing is a problem they have to deal with every day, every shift."

Ford said the comment by Department of Health spokesperson Fidel Hadebe that they are "monitoring the debate with keen interest" does not sound as though they are treating the issue with any urgency. "What upsets me is that nurses have not been consulted about this," he said.

The National Hospital Network was trying to deal with the issue at government level," said Ford.

- Fin24.com