PETER WHARTON-HOOD: SA needs to invest in nurses to avoid a healthcare catastrophe

From the rising costs of diesel used to offset load-shedding, to difficult working conditions and the increasing effect of inflation, SA’s healthcare sector is facing a multitude of challenges. But one of the biggest issues is undoubtedly the lack of critical human resources, specifically healthcare workers, who keep hospitals and facilities functioning.  

Today in SA there is just one doctor for every 3,200 people, translating to 0.3/1,000. By contrast, countries such as Australia and the UK have more than three doctors for every 1,000 people. On the ground, there is just one nurse per 213 people. Of these, less than a third are under the age of 40, and within 15 years 47% of all nurses will have retired.

The nursing shortage is estimated at more than 26,000 professionals at present, but we expect this number to reach more than 100,000 by 2030. Nurses are the backbone of the healthcare sector, playing a crucial role in patient recovery and safety. If action is not taken immediately to develop a sustainable pipeline of nursing talent, the problem is going to become noticeably worse. 

As a leading provider of quality health care, we have the facilities and the capacity to contribute to the national pool of skills, especially in the field of nursing, by training as many as 3,000 more nurses every year. Yet we are being denied the opportunity to invest in the next generation of nurses. The bureaucrats will simply not listen.  

New regulations enacted by the SA Nursing Council and Council on Higher Education are turning off the taps of training. Out-of-touch regulations permit us to train just 800 nurses a year — in no way enough to reduce the effect of the shortage. 

Borderless skills

Beyond our inability to train people to meet SA’s future healthcare needs, the regulations risk the sector losing even more talented and skilled nurses by limiting career advancement, prompting nurses to consider their options overseas. According to the World Health Organisation, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused a rapid acceleration in international recruitment of health workers, including nurses. 

We cannot spend more time debating the numbers — the problem is blindingly obvious to everyone. It is now time for public stakeholders to recognise that there is a big bureaucratic problem at play, which if not addressed quickly will have catastrophic long-term implications for all of us.

If the government’s goal is to forge ahead with National Health Insurance (NHI) — which is aimed at making health care more accessible, giving more people the opportunity to receive treatment — more nurses and doctors need to be trained to realise this vision. Private healthcare providers are willing to extend a trusted hand of friendship to the public sector so that we can work to overcome this critical skills shortage together.

It is our intention to have constructive conversations about the practical roles both the public and private sectors can play in addressing this crisis — before it becomes a catastrophe where people’s lives are at stake. Through our accredited, innovative, quality education and training programmes, we can help bridge the skills gap, but we need the government to come on board and collaborate to address the regulatory shortcomings, or risk SA’s pipeline of talent running dry.

The adage “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, the second-best time is now” has never been more true. If we don’t get busy solving the shortage now, I am deeply concerned that SA will not have the skills it needs to address future healthcare demands. That’s why we will not rest until we have permission to train more nurses, who in turn deliver high-quality care to our patients.  

Life Healthcare has the potential and the willingness to invest in a sustainable pipeline of nurses. We need the public sector to work collaboratively to safeguard the ones already on the front line while allowing us to train the next generation. 

• Wharton-Hood is group CEO at Life Healthcare.