Date: 29/06/2009

Source: The Presidency

Title: SA: Motlanthe: Speech by the Deputy President of South Africa at the Congress of the International Council of Nurses

President of the International Council of Nurses, Dr Hiroko Minami;
The Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi;
The Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Dr Zweli Mkhize;
Ladies and Gentlemen:

I am deeply honoured to address this august gathering of the International Council of Nurses (ICN).

Our country is indeed pleased that the leadership of the International Council of Nurses (ICN) took a decision to host this congress on the African continent and in our country, fully expressing confidence in our nation's commitment to contributing to a better world to which we all aspire.

I therefore wish all of you a warm welcome to our country and hope that despite the winter season, the City of Ethekwini will not disappoint. You will have a warm stay here and find our people hospitable and friendly.

I would also like to thank the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA), for making the hosting of this invaluable conference in our country possible.

DENOSA plays a critical role in our country. This is reflected in DENOSA's committed activism towards the improvement of the professional and socio-economic conditions of nurses in our evolving democracy.

In a post-apartheid society under-going reconstruction and development, and faced with challenges of deep historical inequalities, the amelioration of the nursing profession in our country has indeed come a long way.

Yet in the face of these chronic challenges we knew then as we know now that we could confidently count on our dedicated nursing workforce to help us face down these challenges.

This congress takes place at a truly difficult time for all nations due to the global economic recession, the shortage of health workforce and a series of prevailing contemporary health issues like HIV and AIDS and the H1N1, otherwise popularly known as Swine Flu.

Worldwide, quality health care depends on an adequate supply of qualified nursing personnel.

In almost every country nurses provide the majority of health services - up to 80% in some of the countries.

Nursing is therefore acknowledged as an essential component of health care delivery systems.

The role of nurses and functions are continually being re-defined in the context of health sector change.

Yet not to put too fine a point on it, one can contend that the nursing profession is the backbone of the health of the world.

So to meet the challenges of health, especially in developing countries, nurses require appropriate initial and ongoing education and training, as well as lifelong learning to practise competency within their scope of profession.

Nurse's organizations are responsible for ensuring that nurses are major participants in planning and direction of nursing education, nursing services, regulatory bodies and other health related activities.

In our country, South Africa we have come up with what we call the Nursing Strategy. It is a strategy that is aimed at addressing as a matter of urgency the challenges faced by nursing in our country.

The principles of the strategy include:
• Good quality education and training;
• Provision of an enabling environment for nursing;
• Good leadership in all aspect of nursing;
• Enhancement and maintenance professionalism amongst members of the nursing profession;
• Better image and social positioning of nursing;
• Ensuring that there is strong leadership that provides appropriate guidance and direction to nurses.

The theme for this congress, "Leading Change: Building Healthier Nations", is a testimony that nursing is aware and is responding to the challenges the health care systems worldwide are faced with.

In restructured health services nurses should be directly responsible for policy development and should be positioned in all levels of government to lead in policy development processes.

Research has shown that nurses are attracted to and remain at their place of employment when opportunities exist that allow them to advance professionally, gain autonomy and participate in decision-making, while being fairly compensated.

Further, when health professionals are satisfied with their jobs, rates of absenteeism and turnover decrease, staff morale and productivity increase, and work performance as a whole improves.

Research-based practice is a hallmark of professional nursing.

Nursing research, both qualitative and quantitative, is critical for quality, cost-effective health care.

Nursing research is needed to generate new knowledge and provide evidence that will inform nursing education, practice, research and management.

Maintaining networks and linkages with and between key stakeholders is essential to effective leadership and management.

Also critical is the ability to continually assess the environment, to monitor performance and to create or adapt to change as required.

Therefore, nursing must ensure that nurse educators and nurses managing nursing services are experienced nurses with suitable qualifications and understanding of competencies and conditions required to deliver quality nursing care in the current health care environment.

To enable the profession to provide competent leadership, the Nurses Organisations should be vigilant in assuring that nurses are prepared with the necessary competencies to function in leadership roles at all levels of the health system.

Leadership is an essential component of management.

The world is faced with a deadly HIV and AIDS pandemic that threatens to ruin our collective future.

One of the key elements in South Africa's anti-AIDS strategy is the building of partnerships across society in order to mount a credible fight against this deadly virus.

This partnership is primarily reliant on the nurses as dedicated professionals at the coalface of the daily fight against HIV and AIDS in our hospital wards, in terms of home care and other forms of response.

Working together with representatives of nurses in our country, especially DENOSA, government will continue to ensure greater co-operation and create conducive working conditions, so as to bring about the possibility of an HIV free generation in our country.

To this end, we are confident as government that we have a lifelong partnership in the International Council of Nurses - DENOSA relationship. We believe that DENOSA will remain an important affiliate of the ICN.

In time a future generation will come to look back on our current partnerships to build a better, healthier world, with awe and deep appreciation.

Programme Director,

For many people health is the only hope against many other daily challenges that stare the world in the face.

The Arabian proverb reminds us that: "He who has health has hope; and he who has hope, has everything."

Once again, I wish to express government's appreciation to the International Council of Nurses for granting us the right to host this conference, despite the young state of DENOSA as your affiliate.

I wish you well in your deliberations and look forward to your continued engagement on matters that will improve the wellbeing of all nations.

I thank you.