Nurses in the public health sector, faced with extreme situations beyond their control every day, are in need of counselling and debriefing sessions that are no longer provided for them, reports Health-e News.
Communications manager at the Democratic Nurses Association of South Africa,(Denosa) Sibongiseni Delihlazo said nurses who don’t receive support are at risk of becoming either hardened to the plight of those in their care, or else overly involved in the challenges of their patients. He said it was unfortunate that the counselling services that were once provided were now no longer available to nurses anymore.
“Previously there used to be counsellors for nurses and doctors in the facilities. They would debrief staff when they encountered a bad experience, like the loss of a patient. Today the need for that kind of thing is even more, especially now that we are experiencing a severe shortage of nurses,” Delihlazo said. Nurses who don’t receive care and support could become hardened. “Nurses are sometimes seen as heartless people who don’t always care.”
The report says Denosa offers a programme titled Health Workers for Change, through which nurses are encouraged to identify difficult issued within the different healthcare facilities, and not to take their anger out on patients. “This has assisted them in the way they deal with systematic challenges and they realise they are at work to help the vulnerable,” said Delihlazo.
According to the chair of Civil Society in the Northern Cape, Beau Nkaelang, the public should be made aware of what health care workers in the public system go through. “We would like to see all the district civil society forums having a sector that represents health care workers, something that at the moment is only seen at a provincial level,” he said.
The report says recognition of the plight of the health care providers would help patients understand the challenges faced by those who care for them and would help the public have more understanding for nurses and what they go through and the fact that they themselves need support.
The Eastern Cape Department of Health is, meanwhile, looking to train more than 350 nurses at Lilitha College of Nursing. Provincial health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said they were hoping to improve the quality of healthcare in the province.
“We are trying to ensure that we produce nurses of high quality. We are faced with a severe shortage of nurses. We are pleased that Lilitha produces, annually, more nurses that any other training facility,” Kupelo said. He said they were aware that not everyone who entered nursing was driven by a passion to serve.
According to Kupelo, Lilitha College of Nursing has been allocated R307m for nursing training. That money goes into administration, stipends for the students, accommodation and book allowances,” he said.
Some of the requirements include the following: a certified copy of a valid Grade 12 certificate with an aggregate of D or E. Grade 12 reports for candidates who are still doing Grade 12. The certificate or report must have the following subject as they are compulsory: English Level 3 and above (E symbol); biology (life sciences) Level 4 and above (D symbol). Other science subjects will be an added advantage as the admission point system (with minimum points of 18) will be used to select candidates; a certified copy of study leave or letter from a supervisor indicating that study leave is being processed for government employees; a certified copy of their identity document; a certified copy of a marriage certificate for married candidates; and a curriculum vitae with reliable contact numbers and clear physical address indicating the town or farm or village of origin; and An original bank copy of a R50 deposit slip, which is the fee for their application.
The college has campuses in Mthatha, East London, Queenstown, Port Elizabeth and Lusikisiki.
[link url="https://www.health-e.org.za/2017/04/20/nurses-need-debriefing-counselling-denosa/"]Health-e News report[/link]
[link url="http://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/2017/04/22/e-cape-health-train-350-nurses-lilitha/"]Daily Dispatch report[/link]