Nurses are not for sale! This resounding chant reverberated outside Newcastle Provincial Hospital as a group of local nurses, joined by representatives from The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU), staged a picket to protest against intolerable working conditions.
According to a NEHAWU spokesperson at the picket, the management team at the Mother and Child Hospital was culpable for fostering a challenging work environment.
Allegations ranged from staff harassment to demands for extended working hours due to a chronic shortage of nurses, with scant rest periods and inadequate remuneration for their tireless efforts.
“Nurses are leaving the hospital on a monthly basis, with 27 nurses leaving last month alone. The manager bullies staff, and some of the nurses who have not left the hospital take sick leave and request transfers as not to return to the environment in which they find themselves,” said the trade union’s representative. He further disclosed that discussions with the hospital’s management had thus far proven futile, with the institution failing to address the grievances with due seriousness.
“If nurses keep leaving the hospital, what is going to happen to the patients who rely on the hospital’s services,” queried a nurse who chose to remain anonymous.
Newcastillian News sought a response from Newcastle Provincial Hospital, but despite concerted efforts to engage the hospital’s communications unit, no comment was forthcoming.
In an interview with Newcastillian News, Dr Imran Keeka, Chairperson of the KZN Health Portfolio Committee, highlighted that the shortage of nurses was not an isolated issue. He revealed that over 2,500 nurses had resigned in the past year, with labour disputes being a recurrent challenge.
“There will often be conflict between the management and staff, and we do our best to ensure these are resolved amicably. However, this is not always possible. Unfortunately, however, as the health sector is understaffed, we must do our best to hear both sides of the story to see how we can resolve this,” said Dr Keeka.
Addressing the allegations against the hospital’s management, Dr Keeka noted that he had spoken with several staff members who reported various grievances, ranging from bullying to intimidation.
“The issues ranged from bullying to intimidation. However, no one wants to bring complaints forward and this makes the situation difficult,” said Dr Keeka. He added that, as Chairperson of the KZN Health Portfolio Committee, it was his responsibility to liaise with both healthcare staff and unions, yet no union representative had approached him regarding the situation at Newcastle Provincial Hospital.
As the situation at the Newcastle Provincial Hospital unravels, it should be noted that the issue of understaffing in nursing is a systemic challenge that exacerbates workloads, compromises patient care, and fuels nurse burnout.
The National Department of Health’s Human Resources for Health Strategy 2020–2025 identifies understaffing as a critical obstacle in public healthcare, driven by high vacancy rates and an uneven distribution of healthcare professionals. The strategy highlights that vacancy rates for registered nurses in the public sector can reach 53% in certain settings, resulting in severe understaffing in hospitals and clinics. While not specific to KwaZulu-Natal, this trend likely applies to the region, given its substantial disease burden and extensive rural population.
Moreover, overwork—often a consequence of understaffing—significantly contributes to nurse fatigue, burnout, and turnover.
The Human Resources for Health Strategy 2020–2025 recognises overwork as a pervasive issue in public healthcare, linked to staffing shortages and high patient volumes.
It further notes that nurses frequently work extended hours to compensate for vacant posts, leading to exhaustion and diminished care quality. A 2019 study published in Curationis on South African public sector nurses revealed that 62% of nurses engaged in moonlighting—working overtime or second jobs—to address financial pressures and staffing shortages, further exacerbating their fatigue.
The ongoing situation at Newcastle Provincial Hospital underscores a broader systemic failure within South Africa’s public healthcare system, where understaffing and poor management practices threaten both nurse welfare and patient care. The alleged departure of 27 nurses in a single month, coupled with allegations of bullying and overwork, highlights the urgent need for meaningful dialogue and reform to address these deep-rooted issues. Without swift intervention, the hospital risks further erosion of its workforce, jeopardising the quality of care for a community heavily reliant on its services.
To reverse this troubling trend, stakeholders—including hospital management, unions, and the KZN Health Portfolio Committee—must prioritise collaborative solutions that tackle understaffing and foster supportive work environments. The National Department of Health’s Human Resources for Health Strategy 2020–2025 provides a framework for addressing vacancy rates and overwork, but its implementation requires commitment at the local level. By valuing and protecting nurses, the healthcare system can uphold its duty to deliver equitable, high-quality care to all South Africans.
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