As the world commemorates International Nurses Day, we reflect on the state of nursing in South Africa. Nursing is a critical component of healthcare delivery in South Africa, with 56% of healthcare workers being nurses. Rural communities, who often rely on primary healthcare services, interact with nurses more than any other healthcare worker in the system.

As of 2023, South Africa is currently experiencing a nursing shortage of up to 62,000 professional nurses. This number is set to rise with demand expected to increase to 305-340,000 by 2030. Without enough nurses, both public and private health systems are at risk and the achievement of universal health coverage is at stake. In this hour, we unpack what interventions need to be made to support nurses: from infrastructure to make service delivery easier, building pathways for community service nurses to be absorbed into the healthcare system to educational opportunities to build the next generation of nurses. To share their insights, we are joined by…

Guest (Telephone): Ruben Maleka - General Manager at the Public Servants Association of South Africa

Guest (Telephone): Prof. Alex van den Heever - the Chair of Social Security Systems Administration and Management Studies at the Wits School of Governance

Guest (Telephone): AND Kwena Manamela- Secretary General of DENOSA

Guest (Telephone): Russell Rensburg - Executive Director of Rural Health Advocacy Group