'Equipment that is not up to standard coming into hospitals'‚ says nurse of 32 years

Tebogo Motseki has well-preserved memories of the day President Nelson Mandela launched the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa)‚ despite the fact that he did not make it to the event.

“I searched for information‚ news clippings‚ pictures‚” says the 56-year-old nurse‚ who was on duty that day.

Twenty years later Motseki has made it to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to celebrate the organisation's 20th anniversary‚ on the same day South Africans commemorate the third anniversary of Mandela's death.

Looking back‚ the health and safety officer at Rietvlei Hospital in Umzimkulu‚ KwaZulu-Natal‚ says the profession has come a long way since the advent of democracy.

“We are coming from an era of nursing associations with their own set of rules during Apartheid. A black nurse just had to toe the line.

“Nurses weren't allowed to be in adverts [like they are today]. It was a divine profession‚ associated with a white uniform.”

Motseki‚ who has been in the profession since 1984‚ says nurses could not challenge their managers back then‚ but today they know that they have rights and may argue with their superiors should they so desire.

Denosa has had a lot to do with that.

In the past 20 years‚ the organisation has spearheaded the formation of the Southern African Network of Nurses and Midwives‚ a regional body for nurses in the SADC region.

In 2005 it succeeded in introducing uniform allowances for nurses at the bargaining council.

It has also promoted the equal rights of patients‚ regardless of their HIV status‚ and successfully campaigned for the establishment of a Chief Nursing Officer in the Department of Health.

The organisation boasts many achievements‚ but Motseki remembers that it was not always plain sailing.

He recalls when he believed the organisation was on the brink of collapse in the early 2000s‚ when it took a decision to become a Cosatu affiliate.

“It was a difficult time. People were divided. There were some provinces that were not happy with that decision. Some provinces walked out of the national congress [meeting]. We were arguing up until the middle of the night.”

Celebrating 20 years of Denosa‚ Motseki says he hopes more campaigning can be done for the improvement of health and safety compliance in hospitals‚ starting with an overhaul of the current procurement system.

“There is low quality‚ junk stuff – equipment that is not up to standard – coming into hospitals.

“We also still have a shortage of personnel. Nurses are leaving because of unpleasant work conditions and illness [due to] the enormous shortage of [staff].”