PHA-Exchange> Nurses brain drain

[Aviva]

From: "ProCAARE" <procaare at usa.healthnet.org>
> Healthlink Bulletin 02-08-2002
> ********************
>
> The "nursing drain" is a crisis of international proportions - and South
Africa  is bearing the brunt of it.
>
> The ripple effect is that South Africa now has too few qualified nurses to
cope. And those
> it has are moonlighting to fill in shifts and earn more money - leaving
crucial, sometimes
> life-saving standards under threat, even at private hospitals.
>
> "Sky News" reported this week that last year alone, 2 114 South African
nurses took up
> posts in British hospitals. South Africa, the international television
agency said, is one
> of Britain's biggest source countries for qualified nurses.
>
> Britain is not the only nurse raider. Australia, America, Canada and Saudi
Arabia, just to
> name a few, are also involved in the bartering for nurses.
>
> In  the UK, where they earn up to 15 pounds an hour and just one day's
overtime is
> equivalent to their month's salary in S Africa.
> Netcare has reacted to the nursing shortage by increasing the number of
nursing students
> trained at its colleges from 1 000 last year to 1 600 this year, and has
plans to double
> the number of nurses trained every year.
> (Source: The Sunday Tribune, 28 July 2002)