Chairperson, the hon member might be aware that the issue of fly-by-nights is not only in nursing. It is generally across the country, in secretarial courses and teacher training colleges, for example, where members of the community who are gullible only discover this after qualifying. There are even bogus universities, who say that they are universities from some overseas country and they are in a particular city.
The problem is, when you put in a regulatory authority, like the SA Nursing Council, whose job it is to accredit quality in these colleges, they might not know a fly-by-night institution because they deal only with those that are registered. It is similar in education. If a teacher training college is a bogus one, the department might not know until they accidentally come across somebody who qualified there.
This issue was also discussed at the summit. Yes, the SA Nursing Council was told to be vigilant, but they will only be vigilant about those who register. We would like members of the communities to help us to be vigilant about those who don't register. That is because, when you eventually complete your course, we will not give you a job and you will be punished for your ignorance. You might have studied there for three years, and it will be a very painful thing. The resolution was that we needed to deal with it.
The other issue that was complained about was the mushrooming of private training colleges. There might not be anything wrong with that, but when you start seeing a mushrooming of private facilities and also the fly-by- nights, it means that there is a shortage somewhere in the state. People then see what they call a market or a gap. So we believe from this audit of nursing colleges that if we solve the problem from the state's side, as we are going to do, some of these things will be whittled away, because no member of the community will be forced to go elsewhere.
Lastly, if nursing starts a platform of training at university, how many youngsters will get the money to go to university? So, they are exposed to these fly-by-nights because they don't have money. That is why we wanted to solve this problem from the state's side, and we think that once it is solved the fly-by-nights will start being whittled away. The need to train privately might not go away, but it will not increase at the rate at which it is increasing now. Thank you.
Civil claims relating to alleged negligence by doctors and/or nurses in 2008-09 and 2009-10 financial years, and mechanisms in place to limit negligence in public health institutions
44. Ms N D Ntwanambi (ANC) asked the Minister of Health:
(1) (a) What is the total amount that was paid by his department with regard to civil claims relating to alleged negligence by (i) doctors and/or (ii) nurses in the (aa) 2008-09 and (bb) 2009- 10 financial years, (b) how many claims are currently before the courts and (c) what is the total amount claimed;
(2) whether any mechanisms are in place to limit negligence in public health institutions; if not, why not; if so, what mechanisms? CO228E