Boksburg – President Cyril Ramaphosa has sounded the alarm over the growing number of South African nurses leaving the country for opportunities abroad, warning that the trend is worsening an already fragile healthcare system.
Speaking at the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa’s (Denosa) ninth congress at the Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, Ramaphosa acknowledged the urgent need to address the factors driving healthcare workers out of the country.
South Africa is facing a severe shortage of nurses, with reports indicating that at least 20,000 trained nurses remain unemployed despite the healthcare sector being understaffed. Many of those who find jobs are lured abroad by better salaries and working conditions.
“We are seeing a decline in training numbers,” Ramaphosa told delegates. “This is not just about fewer people entering the profession, but also about the growing trend of recruitment from other countries.”
The three-day congress aims to address several challenges, including delayed accreditation processes, high workloads, burnout, and the broader crisis facing public healthcare institutions.
“The staff shortage in many facilities is leading to community frustration directed at nurses, as patients must queue for long hours in clinics and hospitals,” said Denosa in a statement earlier this year. “Healthcare workers are struggling with heavy workloads and suffer burnout and depression as a result.”
Ramaphosa acknowledged that delays in accreditation for new nurses are exacerbating the crisis, further pushing skilled professionals to seek employment overseas. He stressed the need for urgent reforms in training and capacity-building to align with the evolving needs of the healthcare system.
“We welcome the fact that this is one of the issues under discussion at this congress,” he said.
The Department of Health’s recent statistics paint a grim picture, showing an 18.6% vacancy rate for specialist medical personnel and a 13.7% shortage of nurses. Provinces such as Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng, and Limpopo are among the hardest hit.
Denosa has been vocal about the need for increased government intervention, calling for better wages, improved working conditions, and stronger policies to retain nurses.
Ramaphosa urged the union to take an active role in shaping healthcare policies, particularly with the rollout of the National Health Insurance (NHI).
“The NHI will bring the country closer to its aspiration of being a society where access to quality healthcare is not determined by one’s background or ability to pay,” he said. “Our nurses will be the backbone of NHI.”
Despite his reassurances, healthcare workers remain sceptical, with unions warning that without immediate action, the nurse exodus will continue to cripple the system.
