121 NURSES SET TO LEAVE FOR UK

MBABANE - With the country’s health sector faced with many challenges, it is an undeniable fact that its members of staff feel the heat almost on a daily basis.

It is therefore not surprising that a significant number of them are seeking greener pastures. An exodus of local nurses is on the cards as it has been reported that about 121 of them have indicated their intention to leave the country for greener pastures in the United Kingdom. The state of affairs is as a result of the current financial situation in the country and the cash flow problems faced by government.

It has been gathered that issues like lack of overtime were killing the morale among the nurses who felt their future and welfare was not being prioritised by government. The problems faced by the nurses have since been reported to their body, the Swaziland Democratic Nurses Union (SWADNU) and their intention to leave for greener pastures. In an interview with SWADNU President Bheki Mamba, he said they were aware of the nurses’ exodus. He added that even though only 121 had confirmed, others who recently learnt about the opportunities were calling him the whole day yesterday and that meant the figure was bound to increase.

“We have a huge challenge with the conditions of service and treatment of the nurses,” Mamba said. Explaining in depth, Mamba stated that there were health facilities where currently one nurse was servicing two wards, which was a risk to the patients. “Currently, nurses watch people being admitted and die under their watch because they have no equipment to help and that includes food for the patients. There is nothing that motivates the nurses in their jobs,” he added. Mamba said another reason was the cost of living, adding that while everything was hiking, salaries were still the same making it hard for them to meet their needs. He went on to state that the nurses did not want to go but were forced by the situation.

“The nurses were clear that they were not happy about leaving,” he said. Even worse, he said, the nurses who were leaving were those who had around 10 years experience and that was not something the country was supposed to take lightly. When asked how they were able to check if the job adverts were authentic, Mamba explained that there were emaSwati who went to the UK in 2003 and were still in contact with them. He said it was through them that they checked the jobs. A senior nurse who has over 10 years working at the Mbabane Government Hospital, but did not want to be named, reiterated that this was something the country was not supposed to take lightly.

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