Mpumalanga Health Admits Nurse Shortage but Denies 94% Vacancy Rate Claim

The Mpumalanga Department of Health concedes there is a shortage of nurses at Embhuleni District Hospital , but denied the vacancy rate is at 94%.

The Source’s Claim

A hospital source confirmed the shortage of nurses was affecting employees.

“It is true there is a shortage of staff nurses here, and we are being overworked.”

The DA’s Findings

After the DA was tipped off, the party visited the hospital and confirmed a serious problem. The vacancy rate was estimated at 94% for staff nurses , and there was also a shortage of medical equipment and surgical consumables.

Bosman Grobler , a DA member of the Mpumalanga legislature, said: “This is after we found out that the hospital has a vacancy rate of 94% for staff nurses and a shortage of medical equipment and surgical consumables.”

“The severe staff nurse shortage is concerning, taking into consideration the hospital is expected to service the Gert Sibande district, including an estimated 248,000 people from the local Chief Albert Luthuli municipality.”

Grobler said the department’s organogram requires 78 staff nurses , but the hospital only has five .

The organogram also requires 149 professional nurses (only 117 are operating) and 39 medical officers (only 14 are operating).

The Department’s Response

Mpumalanga health spokesperson Dumisane Malamule said the hospital had five staff nurses at the end of the fourth quarter and third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, five staff nurses were appointedone started on 1 April, and four will resume work on 1 May.

“This vacancy rate was mainly created by internal departmental development programmes that trained staff nurses to become professional nurses.”

Malamule said the hospital has 220 approved beds and 185 usable beds with a bed utilisation rate of about 64%.

“This therefore reduces the 94% [figure] because the department does not fill posts using only the organogram; it uses the bed utilisation rate as well in determining the vacancy rate in filling posts.”

The Bottom Line

Five staff nurses instead of 78. Fourteen medical officers instead of 39. A hospital serving 248,000 people.

The department says the vacancy rate isn’t 94% because they use bed utilisation rates. The DA says the numbers don’t add up.

The nurses are overworked. The patients are waiting. And the shortage is realwhatever the percentage.

{Source: Citizen}

Follow Joburg ETC on Facebook, Twitter , TikTok and Instagram

For more News in Johannesburg, visit joburgetc.com