Speech by the Minister of Health at a meeting with the hospital Chief Executive Officers (CEOs)

Thank you very much to all of you for responding favourably and accepting the invitation to this meeting. I believe this meeting is very important in our efforts to normalise the delivery of health services after what has been referred to as an unprecedented and bruising public service strike.

It was brought to my attention that last week's meeting of the Heads of Departments (HoDs) traversed the feelings on the ground regarding the concerns that you as CEOs have in ensuring that government are able to deliver quality health services in line with our mandate.

We, therefore, felt that it would be prudent to convene this meeting as soon as possible following the discussions with the MECs and the leadership of the health sector unions held last week.

The strike management team in the Department constantly appraised me of the challenges with which all of you had to cope with during the strike. I was deeply disturbed by the incidents of gross misconduct, intimidation and victimisation of non-striking health workers by their colleagues and others.

You will join me in acknowledging and applauding the efforts, commitment and unstinting loyalty of our health professionals and other categories of health workers, who in the face of great adversity remained true to their calling to heal and to preserve life. We also thank the South African Military Health Services, the private sector and all the volunteers who assisted in the provision of health services during the unfortunate period of the strike.

Following the lifting of the strike on 28 June and the subsequent signing of the wage agreement by the trade unions last week, we began the arduous task of rebuilding relationships within the health sector from national, provincial, district up to facility level. Most importantly, we need to work hard to restore the confidence of the public in the public healthcare system.

We have commenced the rebuilding process at a national level and set the scene for the normalisation of the working environment. To that extent we convened a meeting with the leadership of the trade unions active within and admitted to our sectoral bargaining council and these are National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu), Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa), Public Servants Association (PSA), Health and Other Services Personnel Trade Union of South Africa (Hospersa) and National Union of Public Service Allied Workers (NUPSAW).

The response by the trade union leadership was positive and both parties committed to working together in normalising the working environment. We held frank and open discussions and agreed that the public service strike was indeed regrettable and accepted the need to ensure that incidents such as those that accompanied the strike never happen again in the health sector.

In an effort to undo the negative effects of the strike and to restore the delivery of basic healthcare services, we must obtain maximum co-operation of all stakeholders in the health system. We need to provide leadership and improve relations between those workers who remain on duty and those who illegally participated in the strike action.

We also have to improve the relationship between the management and the staff. As facility managers, we have to demonstrate good leadership and steer all parties in our facilities into embodying the spirit of ubuntu and the Patient's Rights Charter.

As hospital managers, you should not feel let down by the process of negotiations and the manner of its conclusion which is going to be presented to you later this morning. Despite the public health services having borne the brunt of the strike, we need to accept that the outcome of the negotiations brought an end to the strike with both sides ultimately having to make concessions on critical deal breaking issues.

What is even more important is that we now have a great opportunity to finalise an occupation specific dispensation (OSD) that will significantly boost our ability to attract and retain health professionals starting with nurses this year.

I would like to reiterate our position as the Department of Health that we are fully committed to improving the conditions of service of the health workers in the country.

We have been lobbying various institutions within government to try and mobilise resources for improvement of these working conditions. As a result of this internal engagement within government, additional resources have been allocated for improvement of salaries of nurses this year. Negotiations with the unions on the utilisation of these resources commenced on Tuesday, 10 July.

Part of the proposals we have presented to the discussions with the health unions is that entry level salaries for various categories of nurses be increases by between 20 and 23% and be paid retrospectively with effect from 1 July 2007.

What this means is that a newly qualified professional nurse should now enter the public health sector at a salary of R96 750 per annum, which is R17 343 more than what that person would have received before July 2007.

Staff nurses will enter the sector on a salary of R65 574 per annum which is R11 352 higher than pre-July 2007 period. Auxiliary nurses will commence at R49 665 which is R9 438 more than the old dispensation.

These proposals represent an increase of more than 21% for professional nurses, 20% for staff nurses and 23% for auxiliary nurses at entry level. I am emphasising entry level because these are just minimum benefits for everyone. Our package of proposals calls for a recognition of years of experience, skills and education. The new dispensation will recognise good performers who may progress faster to higher salary levels. Nurses will now have an opportunity to progress to higher levels based on performance, education and accumulation of skills.

The proposals also make specific arrangements with regard to nursing specialists and nursing managers. It also provides remuneration recognition to the position of nursing educators to enable us to attract lecturers for the extra nursing colleges we are opening.

The occupation specific dispensation will be extended to doctors, dentists, pharmacists and emergency care practitioners next year and to other health professional categories in 2009 as provided for in the public service wage agreement.

In conclusion, Programme Director, I hope today's meeting will provide you an opportunity to among other things discuss and share your views on:

* how we can accelerate the normalisation of the workplace and re-build good relations at facility level
* how we can mitigate against the devastating impact of future industrial disputes in the public service
* and how you think the new occupational specific dispensation which I have outlined will assist us in attracting and retaining of health professionals to the public health sector.

Let me wish you well in your deliberations today. I look forward to receiving the consolidated report of which I hope will be an earnest and candid appraisal off all the discussion points.

Thank you!

Issued by: Department of Health
13 July 2007