Burnout, fatigue and lack of support have become silent threats to South Africa’s nursing workforce within hospitals, clinics and military facilities, with healthcare leaders warning of dire outcomes for patients if these issues are left unattended.
They have urged authorities to set up staff wellness support clinics, and called for urgent systemic action to prioritise nurses’ health, warning that this is being overlooked and their performance compromised, reports TimesLIVE.
Speaking at the 5th African Nursing Conference in Boksburg, Brigadie-General Azwihangwisi Makumbane, from the SA Military Health Service (SAMHS), said there should be wellness clinics in every hospital by now.
“Healthcare professions are viewed as supermen and superwomen but they are also human beings and need the same support system,” she added.
Makumbane said nurses, doctors, kitchen staff and security personnel all faced extreme stress in their jobs, yet there were few safe spaces for them to seek help.
“In the military, we have established a wellness clinic at 1 Military Hospital in Gauteng which serves all of our staff, not just nurses, but everyone – from cleaners to clinicians. That model must be replicated countrywide.”
She emphasised the importance of occupational health and safety units being properly staffed by trained medical professionals who can assess, refer and support staff with psychological or physical challenges.
“When nurses are emotionally exhausted, they lose compassion, not because they do not care, but because they are drowning silently. Mental health is part of wellness.”
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