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Provisions of nursing programmes

4 February 2019

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Nursing Education Institutions
	All Stakeholders

Provisions of nursing programmes

1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Circular is to:

1.1 Update/remind the National Department of Health, Provincial Departments of Health, Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) and other relevant stakeholders about the provisions of the following nursing programmes:

– Bridging course for Enrolled Nurses leading to registration as a General/Psychiatric Nurse;
– Diploma Course in Midwifery for registration as a Midwife.

1.2 Inform the National Department of Health, the Provincial Departments of Health, Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) and other relevant stakeholders of an amended Learner Application form, which should be submitted to the South African Nursing Council (SANC) upon application for registration of learners with the SANC.

2. LEGISLATED DURATION OF THE RELEVANT PROGRAMMES

2.1. Bridging course for Enrolled Nurses leading to registration as a General/Psychiatric Nurse
This programme is regulated by the Regulations relating to the minimum requirements for a Bridging Course for Enrolled Nurses leading to registration as a General Nurse or a Psychiatric Nurse (Government Notice Regulation No.683 of 14 April 1989, as amended). In terms of Regulation 6 (1) of these regulations, the duration of this programme shall be two academic years. An “academic year” as defined in these regulations “shall mean a period of at least 44 weeks in any calendar year”.

2.2. Diploma course in Midwifery for registration as a Midwife
This programme is regulated by the Regulations relating to the minimum requirements for a Diploma course in Midwifery for registration as a Midwife (Government Notice Regulation No. 254 of 10 March 1978, as amended). In terms of Regulation 4 (1) of these regulations, the duration of the course shall be two years.

This regulation must be read in conjunction with Regulation 7 of these regulations, which deals with exemptions. One such exemption is provided for in Regulation 7 (2), as follows: “A student who is a registered general nurse or a registered psychiatric nurse, is exempted from one (1) year of the prescribed period for the course”.

3. IMPLICATIONS
Based on the content under point 2 above, the South African Nursing Council would like to remind all Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) that are still offering the above-mentioned programmes of the following:

	3.1 Students are required to undergo the above-mentioned programmes on a full-time basis, as it is practically impossible for any person in employment, especially full-time employment, to achieve all the theoretical and practical requirements of the programmes within the prescribed time frames. The programme shall therefore not be undertaken on a part-time basis.
	3.2 The persons in charge of NEIs, who are responsible for signing the learner application forms, must ensure that employed learners have been granted study leave by their employers and must attach such proof upon submission of the respective learners’ application forms to the SANC, failing which the applications will not be processed. In addition, each learner must declare that he/she is undergoing the programme on a full-time basis.
	3.3 The Learner Application form has been amended to capture the above requirements. The amended form can be accessed under the “Services” link on the home page of the SANC website (www.sanc.co.za) and thereafter by clicking on the “Learners” link on the menu. A sample is attached to this circular as Annexure A, for ease of reference.
	3.4 The persons in charge of NEIs, who are responsible for submission of learner applications to the SANC, should also in their covering letters to the SANC declare that the listed learners are undergoing the programme on a full-time basis.
	3.5 Please note that, should it be discovered that learners followed these full-time programmes while in full-time employment, it would amount to the requirements of the programmes not having been complied with. This would result in the SANC invoking Section 44 (1) (i) of the Nursing Act (Act No, 33 of 2005) which states that “The Council may instruct the Registrar to remove from the register the name of any practitioner whose registration is proved to the satisfaction of the Council to have been made in error or through fraudulent misrepresentation or concealment of material facts or information”. Consequently, the NEIs involved in such incidents would thereafter be deemed fully responsible for the affected persons and any potential litigation that may ensue.
	3.6 Nursing Education Institutions that were approved by the Council to offer these programmes using a decentralized model, are not exempted from the applicability of these requirements.

4. IMPLEMENTATION DATE
This Circular becomes implementable and valid on the date of issue.

For further information on this Circular, you are advised to contact the Senior Manager: Education and Training, Ms SJ Nxumalo at (012) 420 1022 or at [email protected]

Yours sincerely

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

Circular 1/2019

SANC Circular 1/2019

4 February 2019

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Nursing Education Institutions
	All Stakeholders

Provisions of nursing programmes

1. PURPOSE
The purpose of this Circular is to:

•	1.1 Update/remind the National Department of Health, Provincial Departments of Health, Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) and other relevant stakeholders about the provisions of the following nursing programmes:

– Bridging course for Enrolled Nurses leading to registration as a General/Psychiatric Nurse;
– Diploma Course in Midwifery for registration as a Midwife.

•

1.2 Inform the National Department of Health, the Provincial Departments of Health, Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) and other relevant stakeholders of an amended Learner Application form, which should be submitted to the South African Nursing Council (SANC) upon application for registration of learners with the SANC.

2. LEGISLATED DURATION OF THE RELEVANT PROGRAMMES

•

2.1. Bridging course for Enrolled Nurses leading to registration as a General/Psychiatric Nurse
This programme is regulated by the Regulations relating to the minimum requirements for a Bridging Course for Enrolled Nurses leading to registration as a General Nurse or a Psychiatric Nurse (Government Notice Regulation No.683 of 14 April 1989, as amended). In terms of Regulation 6 (1) of these regulations, the duration of this programme shall be two academic years. An “academic year” as defined in these regulations “shall mean a period of at least 44 weeks in any calendar year”.

•

2.2. Diploma course in Midwifery for registration as a Midwife
This programme is regulated by the Regulations relating to the minimum requirements for a Diploma course in Midwifery for registration as a Midwife (Government Notice Regulation No. 254 of 10 March 1978, as amended). In terms of Regulation 4 (1) of these regulations, the duration of the course shall be two years.

This regulation must be read in conjunction with Regulation 7 of these regulations, which deals with exemptions. One such exemption is provided for in Regulation 7 (2), as follows: “A student who is a registered general nurse or a registered psychiatric nurse, is exempted from one (1) year of the prescribed period for the course”.

3. IMPLICATIONS
Based on the content under point 2 above, the South African Nursing Council would like to remind all Nursing Education Institutions (NEIs) that are still offering the above-mentioned programmes of the following:

•	3.1 Students are required to undergo the above-mentioned programmes on a full-time basis, as it is practically impossible for any person in employment, especially full-time employment, to achieve all the theoretical and practical requirements of the programmes within the prescribed time frames. The programme shall therefore not be undertaken on a part-time basis.
•	3.2 The persons in charge of NEIs, who are responsible for signing the learner application forms, must ensure that employed learners have been granted study leave by their employers and must attach such proof upon submission of the respective learners’ application forms to the SANC, failing which the applications will not be processed. In addition, each learner must declare that he/she is undergoing the programme on a full-time basis.
•	3.3 The Learner Application form has been amended to capture the above requirements. The amended form can be accessed under the “Services” link on the home page of the SANC website (www.sanc.co.za) and thereafter by clicking on the “Learners” link on the menu. A sample is attached to this circular as Annexure A, for ease of reference.
•	3.4 The persons in charge of NEIs, who are responsible for submission of learner applications to the SANC, should also in their covering letters to the SANC declare that the listed learners are undergoing the programme on a full-time basis.
•	3.5 Please note that, should it be discovered that learners followed these full-time programmes while in full-time employment, it would amount to the requirements of the programmes not having been complied with. This would result in the SANC invoking Section 44 (1) (i) of the Nursing Act (Act No, 33 of 2005) which states that “The Council may instruct the Registrar to remove from the register the name of any practitioner whose registration is proved to the satisfaction of the Council to have been made in error or through fraudulent misrepresentation or concealment of material facts or information”. Consequently, the NEIs involved in such incidents would thereafter be deemed fully responsible for the affected persons and any potential litigation that may ensue.
•	3.6 Nursing Education Institutions that were approved by the Council to offer these programmes using a decentralized model, are not exempted from the applicability of these requirements.

4. IMPLEMENTATION DATE
This Circular becomes implementable and valid on the date of issue.

For further information on this Circular, you are advised to contact the Senior Manager: Education and Training, Ms SJ Nxumalo at (012) 420 1022 or at [email protected]

Yours sincerely

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND WELFARE

No. R.1746

17 August 1984

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL

REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE CERTIFICATE IN RENAL NURSING AND THE CERTIFICATE IN STOMA CARE NURSING AND CONDITIONS RELATING TO THE APPROVAL OF NURSING SCHOOLS. – REPEAL.

The Minister of Health and Welfare, on the recommendation of the South African Nursing Council, hereby repeals in terms of section 45(4) of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act 50 of 1978), the regulations published under Government Notice R.670 of 31 March 1983, as amended by Government Notice R.1433 of 1 July 1983 with effect from twelve (12) months after the date of publication of this notice.

No. R.1747

17 August 1984

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL

REGULATIONS FOR THE CERTIFICATE IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH NURSING. – REPEAL.

The Minister of Health and Welfare, on the recommendation of the South African Nursing Council, hereby repeals in terms of section 45(4) of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act 50 of 1978), the regulations published under Government Notice R.238 of 13 February 1981, as amended by Government Notice R.1428 of 1 July 1983, with effect from six (6) months after the date of publication of this notice.

No. R.1748

17 August 1984

THE SOUTH AFRICAN NURSING COUNCIL

REGULATIONS FOR THE CERTIFICATE IN SPINAL INJURY NURSING SCIENCE. – REPEAL.

The Minister of Health and Welfare, on the recommendation of the South African Nursing Council, hereby repeals in terms of section 45(4) of the Nursing Act, 1978 (Act 50 of 1978), the regulations published under Government Notice R.237 of 13 February 1981, as amended by Government Notice R.58 of 22 January 1982 and R.1441 of 1 July 1983, with effect from six (6) months after the date of publication of this notice.

Circular 6/2018

13 December 2018

TO:	Nursing Education Institutions
	Nursing Stakeholders

South African Nursing Council Examination Schedule – 2019

Attached is the Examination Schedule for 2019

Kindly take note of the following requirements applicable to the Council examinations:

1. The closing date for the examinations should be strictly adhered to and no exceptions or allowances will be made to extend these dates.

2. Only registered learners will be eligible for an examination: The Head of the Nursing Education Institution (NEI) must ensure that all learners are registered with the Council within the prescribed period. Foreign applicants apply as individuals though will have to adhere to the prescribed period.

3. Candidates will not be registered for an examination with only an identity number. Council reference numbers are needed in all cases. Please follow up with the Council Registration department first, if learners are not registered for the course before registering candidates for an examination.

4. The Council will only process applications for entry into a Council examination that meet the following requirements:

	a) The Examination Application Form is completed in full, accurately and signed by the relevant person/s. The surname and given names must be those appearing in the identity document.
	b) All the required documentation to be included.
	c) There is proof of payment of prescribed examination fee into the Council’s bank account; such payment must be done by the Nursing Education Institution (NEI) (group payment) and not by learners, except for foreign candidates.

Banking details are as follows:

Name of Bank: First National Bank
Account number: 51425166282 (Current Account)
Branch: Corporate Core Banking – Pretoria
Branch code: 253 – 145
Reference: NEI S-number followed by the type of fee code ‘EXAMFEE’

The correct reference must appear on all deposits to expedite the processing of your payment. The code ‘EXAMFEE’ must only be used for payment in respect of examination fee. This code must not be used for any other types of payment. Here is an example of what a correct reference will look like for an NEI with S-number S12345: S12345EXAMFEE

NB: The Head of the NEI must ensure that payment of fees by their Provincial Department or Head Office is made separately for each NEI and for each specific examination.

Provincial bulk payments without specifications create administrative challenges and cause a delay in processing of the applications

5. Only those candidates that have been issued an examination timetable/number will be eligible to write a Council examination.

6. All practical MARK SHEETS must be submitted to the Council by Registered mail/courier by the end of the month in which the examination is written. If the PRACTICAL MARK SHEETS in SANC format are not submitted on time, the examination results will be published without the practical marks, hence qualification certificate will not be issued to the affected candidates.

7. The Council requests Invigilators not to enclose the practical mark sheet or any other documents with the Examination package.

8. The Council reserves the right to cancel an examination reflected on the schedule if there are insufficient candidates for such an examination.

9. The Council request the NEI’s to inform all their candidates of the outcome of the examination results once published. No examination results will be given out telephonically by the Council. However, candidates will receive results via text messages (SMS).

NB: Examination fees are non-refundable according to Regulation regarding fees and fines payable to the South African Nursing Council (Regulation No.170 of 8 March 2013)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

Circular 5/2018

14 November 2018

TO:	National Department of Health
	Provincial Departments of Health
	Nursing Education Institutions
	All Relevant Stakeholders

South African Nursing Council – Year-end closure

The South African Nursing Council offices will be closed for the year-end from Friday, 21 December 2018 at 12:00 midday, however for operational reasons the gates will be closed at 11:00am, and will re-open on Thursday, 3 January 2019 at 8:00am.

Annual fees must be paid into the Council’s bank account on or before 31 December 2018 to avoid restoration fees. Bank transfers may take up to 3 work days, therefore a safe date to pay via bank transfer is by 24 December 2018.

The SANC banking details are:

Name of bank	First National Bank
Account number	514 211 86 193
Branch code	253145
Reference	Person’s own SANC reference number followed by ANLFEES

Whilst waiting for the Annual Practising Certifcate to be posted by the SANC, then employer can verify the registration status of the practitioner through the SANC website by logging into the SANC eRegister at www.sanc.co.za. To do this, they will require the practitioner’s SANC reference number or Identity Number (ID No).

Kindly inform all persons in your institutions so that they are aware of the closing dates for the SANC.

We wish you all the best over the festive season and look forward to working with you in 2019.

Kind regards,

(Signed)

Ms SA Mchunu
Registrar and CEO
South African Nursing Council

News 4/2018

26 October 2018

TO:	All SANC Clients
FROM:	Ms SA Mchunu Registrar and CEO

SANC offices closed from 11:00 on 9 December 2017

The SANC offices will be closed for operational reasons from 11:00 am on Friday, 9 November 2018 and will reopen on Monday, 12 November 2018 at 08:00 am.

Press Rel 9/2018

FOR ATTENTION:	News Editors
SUBJECT:	Shortage of nurses and the new nursing curriculum
	23 October 2018

The South African Nursing Council (SANC) notes with concern the article published in the media recently and its factually incorrect information that has been disseminated to the public and the nursing fraternity.

The SANC would like to clarify the statements made in these articles, with these facts:

The curriculum submissions that the SANC has received so far, have been and continue to be evaluated and some have also served at meetings of internal structures of the SANC. These applications have been received from Universities, Public Colleges and private nursing schools. It is therefore factually incorrect that ”South Africa will soon have a shortage of nurses due to the dragging of feet/dawdling in approving a new curriculum”. The public and the profession is misled by such incorrect information.

The matter of “nurses will no longer be able to train at provincial training colleges”, is disputable. Factually, some Public Nursing Colleges have submitted their programmes to the SANC and the process of evaluation towards accreditation is underway.

The information provided stating that “there are only six other private institutions that are currently running private programmes” is factually incorrect. There is about sixty four (64) private institutions (including private hospital groups) that are currently offering nursing programmes in South Africa.

The following information in the articles is also incorrect: “The new act makes provision for a new category of nurse – a general nurse”.

The Act Nursing Act, 2005 (Act No 33 of 2005) makes provision for the following categories:

•	Professional Nurse
•	Midwife
•	Staff nurse (general nurses
•	Auxiliary nurse OR
•	Auxiliary Midwife (There will be no qualifications for this category).

Nurse Specialist and Midwife Specialist categories were created through a board notice published by the Minister of Health in the Government Gazette No. 368 of 15 May 2014 – Notice regarding the creation of categories of practitioners in terms of section 31(2) of the Nursing Act, 2005.

Ms Sizeni Mchunu, CEO and Registrar of the SANC says: “It is regrettable that the public and the nursing fraternity have been misled and provided with factually incorrect information by persons who may not be well vested with these issues. Non-approval of submitted curriculums that do not comply with the minimum requirements does not constitute delays by the SANC.”

ENDS

Issued by:

Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communications
South African Nursing Council
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sanc.co.za
Tel: 012 426-9542

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:

Ms S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected]

Press Rel 8/2018

FOR ATTENTION:	News Editors
SUBJECT:	2018 World Stroke Day
	22 October 2018

A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Without blood, brain cells can be damaged or die, depending on which part of the brain is affected and how quickly the person is treated. The effects of stroke on survivors can be devastating to a person’s body, mobility and speech as well as how they think and feel.

The World Stroke Organization reports that around 80 million people in the world today have experienced a stroke and over 50 million survivors live with some form of permanent disability as a result.

The South African Nursing Council will be joining the world in the commemoration of World Stroke Day on 29 October 2018. Ms Sizo Mchunu, Registrar and CEO says: “The SANC, as the governing body of the nursing profession and nursing education, would like to urge the public and nurses alike to make sure that they act fast if they suspect that someone has symptoms of a stroke as the ability to recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke can mean the difference between life and death. Look out for the following signs and symptoms: droop or uneven smile, arm numbness or weakness, slurred speech, vision troubles, and overall fatigue.”

Six key facts about stroke treatment:

	Early recognition makes a big difference,
	Around one in ten more people make an excellent recovery when cared for in a specialized unit,
	Clot-busting drugs (TPA or Thromolysis) increase the chance of a good outcome by 30%,
	Clot retrieval treatment increases the chance of a good outcome by more than 50%,
	Rehabilitation is a critical step in treatment process, and
	One in four survivors will have another stroke.

A stroke can happen to anyone, at any time, and at any age. Save a life by knowing what signs and symptoms to look for and act immediately.

ENDS

Issued by:

Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communications
South African Nursing Council
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sanc.co.za
Tel: 012 426-9542

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:

Ms S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected]

Press Rel 7/2018

FOR ATTENTION:	News Editors
SUBJECT:	SANC Virtual Office to assist nurse in nine provinces
	31 August 2018

The South African Nursing Council’s (SANC) virtual office for nurses will be operating again in nine provinces, starting on 3 September 2018.

Says Ms Sizeni Mchunu, Acting Registrar of the SANC: “The purpose of the SANC Virtual Office is to bring limited walk-in services such as payment of annual fees, selling of distinguishing devices, providing information related to the SANC, etc. to the nurses’ doorstep and thus eliminating the need for them to travel to Pretoria.”

The services that will be offered at the Virtual Office include:

PAYMENT OF ANNUAL FEES OTHER SERVICES

•	Nurses are requested to provide the SANC officials with their SANC reference numbers rather than ID numbers for the processing of annual fees payments.
•	There is no limitation for the number of people you can pay for. However, one must ensure that the daily limit is increased with their respective banks.
•	The SANC further requests nurses to avoid using more than one bank card for payments because that delays the process. It would be appreciated / better if they deposit the money into one person’s account to save time.
•	If a person has paid at the bank already, the outreach staff cannot print their Annual Practising Certificates (APCs) as these will be sent to the nurses through the post. They will only be processing payments done on the day of the outreach.
•	Restorations cannot be processed immediately and any payment received for restoration will only be processed by the SANC head office after the visit. Proof of payment in the form of a white receipt will be provided and the original Annual Practising Certificate will follow later.

SELLING OF DISTINGUISHING DEVICES

•	The quantity of distinguishing devices will be limited to ONE pair per person. Nurses are also requested to bring their original green identity books/smart cards for verification.
•	If a nurse is buying on behalf of his or her colleague, he/she must also bring his/her original green identity book.
•	If a nurse is buying on behalf of his or her colleague, the distinguishing devices form must be completed, on both sides, and signed by the owner. Please note that if the form is incorrectly completed, the request WILL NOT be processed.
•	The owner must attach the certified copy of his or her ID and the quantity will be limited to one pair only if buying for someone else.
•	If a person has ordered the distinguishing devices through the bank, Outreach staff cannot issue that order, it will be sent through the post.

The provincial outreach plan for 2018 is published below – be sure to diarise the dates!

Provinces	Kwa Zulu- Natal	North West	Eastern Cape	Northern Cape	Western Cape	Free State	Limpopo	Mpumalanga	Gauteng
Days allocated	10	5	8	5	8	5	8	5	8
Week 1	3-7 Sept	10-14 Sept	26-28 Sept	8-12 Oct	15-19 Oct	22-26 Oct	5-7 Nov	12-16 Nov	28-30 Nov
Week 2	17-21 Srpt	N/A	1-5 Oct	N/A	31 Oct-2 Nov	N/A	19-23 Nov	N/A	3-7 Dec

Says Ms Mchunu: “Nursing practitioners are afforded six (6) months to pay their annual fee (from 1 July to 31 December every year). It is important to note that this annual fee is due by 31 December. If you pay it electronically into the SANC bank account on 31 December, the chances are it will not reflect in time – please keep this in mind when making payments, as failure to meet this deadline will mean that nurses will have to pay a restoration fee as promulgated by law. The SANC would like to reiterate that its eRegister is and remains sufficient proof for an employer to check if nursing practitioners are registered for the relevant year.”

ENDS

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:

Ms S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

Issued by:

Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communications
South African Nursing Council
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sanc.co.za
Tel: 012 426-9542

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on email: [email protected]

Press Rel 6/2018

FOR ATTENTION:	News Editors
SUBJECT:	2018 World Hepatitis Day
	25 July 2018

Hepatitis causes more than one million deaths a year and is one of the largest global health threats of our time.

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver and causes two in every three liver cancer deaths. There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E. Types B and C lead to chronic disease in hundreds of millions of people and, together, are the most common cause of liver cirrhosis and cancer.

Typical symptoms of Hepatitis can include fatigue, flu-like symptoms, dark urine, pale stool, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, unexplained weight loss and yellow skin and eyes.

World hepatitis day is on 28 July 2018 and aims to create awareness about Hepatitis and the importance of being tested and treated. There are over 300 million people that are living with viral hepatitis in the world, yet up to 290 million of these are unaware that they have this virus.

“The 2018 theme petitions us to test for the virus to eliminate the millions of people living unknowingly with Hepatitis, and reminds those that are on treatment to adhere to their treatment plans. The South African Nursing Council would like to encourage the public to go for hepatitis testing even if they have do not have any of the symptoms mentioned as testing is the only means of knowing if you are infected.
We also urge nurses to continue with their efforts in combating the spread of this deadly disease and exercise the necessary caution when treating infected patients,” says Ms Sizeni Mchunu, SANC Registrar.

Remember: Testing is the only way to know if you are infected – Test, then Treat.

ENDS

Issued by:

Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communications
South African Nursing Council
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sanc.co.za
Tel: 012 426-9542

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:

Ms S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel (012) 426 -9542 or email: [email protected]

Press Rel 5/2018

FOR ATTENTION:	News Editors
SUBJECT:	2018 International Nurse Day – Nurses also have a right to health
	7 May 2018

The global nursing community would be celebrating the birthday of the nursing pioneer, Florence Nightingale on 12 May as part of International Nurse day under a universal theme of ”Right to Health” for the 2018 commemoration.The global nursing community would be celebrating the birthday of the nursing pioneer, Florence Nightingale on 12 May as part of International Nurse day under a universal theme of ”Right to Health” for the 2018 commemoration.

The South African Nursing Council, as the voice of the nursing profession is in full support of this celebration and has added its own spin on the day with the theme “Nurses also have a right to health”. The focus will be on stress and its related condition, hypertension. This is in support of the international theme while underscoring the fact that nurses’ right to health is sometimes forgotten.

The SANC is aware of the challenges faced by nurses in their line of duty, often at the cost of themselves and their own health. Nursing is a noble profession which requires the highest degree of professionalism, dedication and care. The health system will never function without nursing as its backbone. But the stress that nurses work under daily cannot be under-estimated.

”We acknowledge the efforts from nurses in the healthcare environment. However, it has been noted that nurses tend to forget they also have a right to health. That is the reason we have decided to emphasize the importance of nurses’ health in this year’s International Nurses Day by putting more focus on stress and hypertension” says Ms Sizeni Mchunu, SANC Registrar & CEO.

We wish the nurses in South Africa a memorable International Nurse Day. Let us keep alive the words by the late Florence Nightingale: “For the sick it is important to have the best”.

ENDS

Issued by:

Mrs. Adri van Eeden
Senior Manager: Marketing and Communications
South African Nursing Council
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.sanc.co.za
Tel: 012 426-9542

For more information or to arrange for an interview with the Spokesperson, please contact Mrs. Adri van Eeden on Tel (012) 426-9542 or email: [email protected]

Official Spokesperson and person to be quoted:

Ms S Mchunu
Registrar and CEO: SA Nursing Council