A call to address SA's critical care nursing shortage

IN HIGHLIGHTING the urgent need for critical care nursing in South Africa, a professor from the University of Pretoria (UP) pointed out that the country only has 6 246 critical care-trained nurses registered with the South African Nursing Council (SANC).

- ZELDA VENTER

South Africa’s population of 64 million is supported by only 4719 critical care beds, with around 1186 in the public sector and 3533 in the private sector.

In an inaugural address at UP, newly appointed Professor Isabel Coetzee-Prinsloo outlined a transformative vision for the future of critical care in South Africa. She presented what she termed the “three pillars of excellence in critical care” - quality education, practice development, and knowledge translation. Her lecture, delivered at a time when healthcare systems worldwide continue to evolve in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, emphasised the indispensable role of specialised critical care nursing.