Boost for health sector as 1,000 nurses graduate

IN A major boost for the health department, more than 1,000 nurses from Lilitha Nursing College in East London graduated on Wednesday and Thursday.

According to a statement by the Department of Health, the department has trained about 6,191 nurses – including the 1,098 who will be graduating this week – to work in health facilities across the province since 2014.

Graduate Lona Mlonyeni, 24, who said she had always been passionate about helping people and set her sights on becoming a nurse.

“It has been a wonderful journey for me because I am passionate about helping people through health care. And it will be nice for the health department to start hiring more nurses because it is understaffed. “Health care is very important and it should be accessible,” Mlonyeni said.

Claudie Plaatjies said she came to show support to her mother, Eva Plaatjies, who was graduating on the day.

Eastern Cape Health Spokesman Lwandile Sicwetsha said the graduates are going to be a major boost to the department.

He said the investment in the training of nurses was aimed at strengthening and supporting delivery of efficient health care services across the province.

The 1,098 student nurses graduated in various disciplines such as Post Basic Diplomas: Specialist Programmes (Orthopaedics, Critical Care, Operating Theatre, Child Nursing, Clinical Health Assessment Treatment and Care, Ophthalmic Nursing); Basic four-year Diplomas in Nursing Science (General, Community, Psychiatry); and Midwifery Diplomas in General Nursing.