Assessing the composition of nurses in South Africa versus the WHO perspective

Abstract

Background: The shortage of healthcare workers is a global phenomenon with many regions experiencing difficulties in providing a healthcare workforce to meet their demand for healthcare. This situation has led to developed countries recruiting staff from developing countries, thereby causing a shortage in the source country, referred to as a brain drain. Given the negative impact of the turnover of healthcare staff on patient safety, service delivery, healthcare cost and staff morale within healthcare facilities, this research study investigates the current composition of nurses in South Africa versus the World Health Organization (WHO) standard.
Objectives: The study aims to enhance the retention of healthcare workers.
Method: Secondary data collection was utilised to assess how the composition of nurses in South Africa compares against the WHO standard. Non-probability sampling was adopted to draw the study sample to collect data in the original study from nurses registered with the South African Nursing Council (SANC), employing a mixed-method approach to data collection and analysis.
Results: The results indicate that South Africa’s nurses-to-population ratio exceeds the WHO standard.
Conclusion: Although South Africa’s nurse-to-population ratio exceeds the WHO standard, these figures do not accurately reflect the nursing situation in the country.
Contribution: Recommendations are presented which, when effectively implemented, have the potential to enhance the retention of professional nurses and improve healthcare service delivery in South Africa.