News

News

Gauteng nurse shortage threatens, NHI rollout

24 Sep 2026

 

Gauteng’s public health system is losing at least 100 nurses a month and faces a conservative shortage of 16,000 posts. The province needs R5.7bn to address thousands of vacancies, including 1,186 unfunded nursing posts costing R607m. Officials cite insufficient training, failure to employ qualified nurses, ageing staff and problems with the 2007 occupation-specific dispensation (OSD) as key factors. Staff shortages have doubled workloads, contributing to missed care, safety incidents and rising patient complaints. Gauteng faced R6.6bn in medico-legal claims in 2024/25. The shortage poses a significant challenge to effective NHI implementation. – Business Day (14 September 2026)

[BACK TO NEWS]