Potchefstroom – Government will this year increase the number of support staff at hospitals and clinics, says Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

Addressing members of the community at the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Tuesday, the minister said some of the concerns raised by the community included shortage of staff and lack of professional nurses.

“We must be aware that the shortage of nurses is not only a problem in the North West, but it is also a national challenge.

“As a way of addressing this challenge this year, we are going to increase the number of support stuff in our clinics and hospital,” the minister said.

She said there were a huge number of unemployed young people in the country and they had taken the decision to train those that were interested in the health profession.

“As we are going to get a large number of support stuff countrywide for our clinics and hospitals, we will also ensure the staff receives training for the jobs that they are going to do,” the minister said.

The minister said the department would also encourage staff to stay in the profession.

“We are very much concerned about the number of nurses leaving the country to work in another profession while our people are suffering in rural areas.

“We are doing our best to address the challenges regarding the shortage of nurses, our department will also make sure that as they recruit new nurses they will also come up with ways to keep them in the profession,” Ms Tshabalala-Msimang said.

Also responding to questions from members of the community, North West MEC for Health, Nomonde Rasmeni said her department was doing its best to address the challenges faced by home based care centres.

“Home based care centres are owned by Non Governmental Organisations.

“As the department, we are giving them R800 a month to make sure that they survive on a daily bases,” MEC Rasmeni said.

She said her department has taken all the concerns raised and will make sure that they look at other ways of supporting these home based care centres.

“We are going to ensure that we provide all the necessary support and make sure that we empower them to be professional in what they [home based care centres] do,” said MEC Rasmeni.

Defny Molefe, 50, who owns the Thabo Merafong home base care centre in the Merafong village, told BuaNews she catered for 150 orphans from age zero to six and provided them with food, clothes and shelter.

Ms Merafong said most of the work she did in her centre included taking care of the orphans medically as well as educating them.

“I became sad when I see young kids being left on the street; we have so many parents who are not interested in taking care of these children.

“I want to ask the department to work closely with us to make sure that these children remain off the street,” said Ms Merafong. – BuaNews