Nursing council sets up to protect patients

CHANDAPIWA BAPUTAKI
Staff Writer | Wednesday June 24, 2009 00:00

The registrar of the council, Khumo Modisaemang, said their mandate is to make sure that the public receives quality services.

'Our mandate is to make sure that all nurses are registered and eligible to practice. The public can also report their complaints about the services they receive in hospitals and we will take up the cases and we action,' Kgosiemang said.

She stated that because they have been inactive because of shortage of staff, the public resorted to reporting their cases to the hospitals. 'It is still not wrong to do that but such cases end up being taken up by us here because it is our duty to make sure that the client is protected,' she said.

Kgosiemang explained that with the increase in staffing they have established an ethics and disciplinary section that will deal with the investigations at the hospitals.

'A nurse's license can be revoked if they are found guilty and they would never practice again in the country. Our message to the nurses is just to let them know that if they give sub standard service in the direct professional care they will bare the stern action taken against them,' the registrar said.

She pointed out that they are in continuous communication with other international councils where they vet the health professionals coming to work in the country, ascertaining that they are qualified and they have not had cases before disciplinary committees in their country.

The council's registrar further said that NMCB has developed a strategic plan for five years.  'The key things of the strategic plan are effective and efficient organisation, customer satisfaction, public safety and protection'. 

She said there would be decentralisation of registration to other parts of the country to improve services.       

She pointed out that decentralisation was piloted at Letsholathebe Hospital where it proved to be effective, then later on in Kasane Primary Hospital, Letlhakane Primary Hospital, Nyangabwe Referral Hospital, S/Phikwe Government Hospital and the Scottish Livingstone Hospital. Gantsi and Tsabong will be next.