KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane says the 1302 trainee nurses will be graduating on Tuesday and Wednesday in various disciplines.
The department said in a statement that the nurses had been trained in disciplines including specialities such as Mental Health nursing, Advanced Midwifery and Neonatal Nursing, Trauma and Emergency Care, Critical Care, and Child Health Care.
“KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, who is the acting Premier, will deliver the keynote address on Tuesday and speak on the significance of this graduation for the people of this province,” said KZN Department of Health spokesperson Agiza Hlongwane.
The two-day graduation ceremony will take place at the Royal Agricultural Showgrounds in Pietermaritzburg.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (Denosa) says due to budget cuts, there's a shortage of nurses in the province.
“We are calling for treasury to increase the department of health budget so that it can employ and develop nurses.”
Acting Denosa provincial secretary Mbali Sabela said government must have a plan to employ these nurses after training them.
“Who wants to study for four years and don't get a job at the end? Otherwise, we are going to lose nurses to other countries, and this is killing nursing as a profession,” she said.