NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
FOR WRITTEN REPLY
QUESTION NO. 2048
DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 02 NOVEMBER 2009
(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 26)
Ms E More (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:
(1) Whether any provinces require student nurses to work back the
equivalent number of years they studied once they graduate; if not,
what is the position in this regard; if so, which provinces;
(2) whether any student nurses paid back the province a stipulated amount
in lieu of working it back; if so, (a) how many nurses, (b) in which
provinces are they situated and (c) what percentage of the total
number of newly-graduated nurses does this figure constitute?
NW2702E
REPLY:
The following information was obtained from the Provinces
EASTERN CAPE
(1) The Eastern Cape does require student nurses to work back the
equivalent number of years they studied once they graduate.
(2) No student has paid back the Province a stipulated amount in lieu of
working it back, as they have honoured their service obligations.
FREE STATE
(1) Yes the Free State Province requires student nurses to work back the
equivalent number of years they studied once they graduate.
Clause 2(k) of the contract they sign reads as follows: âto accept
appointment and serve my contract period in a designated position for
a period equal to each individual year of study in respect of which
bursary moneys were paid to me (herein called âservice obligationâ)â.
(2) (a) There are no student nurses that paid back the Free State
Province a stipulated amount in lieu of working it back as they
all honored their service obligations.
(b) N/A
(c) N/A
KWAZULU/NATAL
(1) The Provincial Department of Health does require student nurses to
work back the equivalent number of years they studied once they
graduate to serve the contractual obligation.
(2) The Provincial Department of Health instituted the contract for
student nurses as a retention strategy for Professional Nurses since
January 2002. The first batch of 216 qualified at the end of 2005 and
began the service obligation on 01Â January 2006 to 31 December 2009.
(a) A total of 1,543 nurses qualified for service obligation. From
this 52 had to pay back the Province for breach an amount of
between R40,000 and R120,000.
(b) The percentage of the total = 3,5% that breached the contract.
The reasons for breach of contract is mainly due to migration to
other provinces, public and private sector and abroad.
LIMPOPO
(1) A Memorandum of agreement had been made and entered into by and
between the Provincial Government in its Department of Health and
Social Development and the student.
The Student sign this contractual obligation during the first year of
study which affirms that she will contractually be bound by the
contents.
Clause number 2 (g) stipulates , the student shall after completion
of the course serve the Department for a period equivalent to the
contract and study period or such other periods , which the Department
may from time to time determine.
The first year of serving the contract runs concurrently with the
community service for professional nurses as stipulated by the Nursing
Act, Act no. 33 of 2005.
There after the professional nurses continue serving the province
for the period they were funded
(2) Not applicable.
MPUMALANGA
(1) The Department selects nurses in terms of the underserved areas of
the Province and expects that they serve back the number of years
according to the training received.
(2) The Department has not had a nurse having to pay back so far.
NORTHERN CAPE
1) In the Northern Cape Province, on commencement of training, students
enter into a contract with the Northern Cape Department of Health so
that at the end of four years of training, students go back to the
areas they came from to serve their communities for the number of
years in which they were trained, alternatively, they are deployed to
where the need is within the department across the province.
Since January 2008, Community Services for Nurses has been made law
for students who have followed the four year program. This entails
that immediately after completion of training, students get placed
within the province as per choice of facility to address the
professional nurse shortage in the Department of Health. In the case
of the Northern Cape Province, students ,because they are bursary
students, are compelled to serve within the province and thereafter
absorbed/get job offers/apply for permanent employment within the
Department of Health for at least four years.
(2) Students graduating:
|YEAR |NUMBER OF GRADUATES |NUMBER OF STUDENTS EMPLOYED IN THE |
| | |NORTHEHRN CAPE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH |
|2006 |21 |21 |
|2007 |23 |19 |
|2008 |34 |38 |
These figures constitute 100% of newly graduated nurses.
In 2009, it is expected that 67 potential graduates will complete training
in this financial year and measures are already in place to absorb them in
the Northern Cape clinical facilities for community service for nurses and
therefore to serve the Northern Cape Department of Health and the Northern
Cape Province for another 3-4 years.
NORTH WEST
(1) Yes, the North West Province Department of Health and Social
Development require student nurses to work in their facilities within
the Province once they graduate.
(2) (a) 10 ( Years 2006 to 2007)
b) In North West but could have moved to other provinces in the
meantime.
c) 4,3% (Calculated as a percentage of the current number of
graduates 234-2009)
WESTERN CAPE
(1) Yes
(2) Yes
(a) 30 Student nurses
(b) Western Cape
(c) less than 10%
END.