News24 reports that the Gauteng Department of Health plans to fast track the filling of community service nurses' vacancies.  

“The role of nurses is crucial in the healthcare system, they are the heart and soul of the system and the department will continue to prioritise them,” head of department Professor Mhululi Lukhele said in a statement on Sunday.  This came days after the KwaZulu-Natal department of health secured 300 vacancies for nurses in the province as a part of President Cyril Ramaphosa's public health sector stimulus package.  Lukhele indicated further:  “Although the implementation of our recovery plan is beginning to bear fruit, it is appropriate to share that the Department is not yet out of the woods.  We are faced with a challenge to manage the high compensation of employees.”  He assured affected staff members that despite challenges face by the department, work was being done to resolve the hinderances relating to placements.

• Read Canny Maphanga’s original report in full at News24

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