Denosa hands letter of demands to health MEC

About 400 members of the Democratic Nursing Organization of South Africa (Denosa) marched the Bloemfontein streets today in protest against poor working conditions countrywide.

Phalane Mafala, the national president of Denosa, presented one memorandum to Sakhiwe Belot, the provincial health MEC and another to a South African Nursing Council (SANC) representative. Mafalo said they gathered in Bloemfontein today because Denosa cares about the communities it serves.

He told the present crowd that his organisation is fully aware of challenges facing the health sector caused by the health and social needs that are determined by globalization trends. He added that there are various issues that the department of health should address and his organisation in of the opinion that those could be easily resolved if there can be a proper political will.

Technical expertise
Some of the concerns directed at SANC include dissatisfaction about disciplinary procedures conducted by non-nursing staff, the union believes that the action undermines the technical expertise of nursing peers who should be able to assess cases and advocate with knowledge, insight and fairness.

Mafala also expressed worry about the exodus of skilled professionals who are left with no choice but to leave South Africa and search for greener pastures overseas. It then becomes an uphill battle for those left behind to do their job with unreasonable nurse-to-patient ratio which is currently standing at one to 30 and the lack of equipment at hospitals.

Receiving the memorandum, Belot said he will forward it to the national ministry. Mafala however expressed hope that because of a wonderful working relationship between Denosa and the health ministry and the department will pull out all stops to meet their needs. Today's march precedes the Denosa's two day Special National Congress still in Bloemfontein to focus on the organisations's constitutional amendments.