Enter the 7km night run to honour nurses
South Africa loses 9 000 nurses annually due to retirement and death.
The fourth annual Exceptional Nurse Campaign Night Run Series is back and the Joburg race takes place on September 10.
The race honours the exceptional nurses of South Africa and also raises awareness of the current healthcare crisis.
Fifty per cent of the nurses in our country are nearing retirement age. South Africa loses 9 000 nurses annually due to retirement and death and currently only has the capacity to train 3 000 nurses each year.
The night run creates a platform to urge the government to address the current healthcare crisis and train more nurses. Runners’ entry fees will go towards bursaries for student nurses.
The 7km night route is symbolic of the 7-7 shifts nurses work.
“The purpose of the night run is to raise awareness of the critical shortage of professional nurses, to promote a culture of honour and gratitude towards nurses.” says nurse Teresa Basson, the brainchild of this event.
“Nurses are saving lives, every day, all over our nation. We can change the tide of negative media coverage by highlighting all the ‘exceptional nurses’ that help create beautiful miracles every day. Nurses not only form the backbone but the beating heart of our healthcare system.”
Teresa started the Exceptional Nurse Campaign in 2015 after seeing the desperate situation in some of our public hospitals and community clinics.
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Around 51 million South Africans depend on the Department of Health for services provided through 350 public hospitals and approximately 3000 community clinics.
There is an estimated shortage of over 30 000 professional nurses in the government sector, where the patient-to-nurse ratio is sometimes 25:1 – that is 25 patients to be cared for by one nurse.
“Fully endorsed by the Department of Health, the campaign is a non-government, non-political, non-profit company committed to bringing sustainable solutions to the growing health care crisis in South Africa around the shortage of professional nurse posts,” explained Teresa.
“We appeal to the government to drastically increase the health budget to enable the Department of Health to open more nursing posts and train more nurses.
“We need sustainable solutions. We aim to inspire and mobilise exceptional nurses to hospitals and clinics in South Africa where help is needed most.”
Entries cost R100 per person and R50 for children under the age of 12, with all proceeds being donated to the campaign’s bursary fund.To enter in a province in your area visit www.theexceptionalnurse.co.za
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheExceptionalNurseCampaign/)
Night run dates:
• September 3 – Cape Town
• September 10 – Joburg
• September 17 – Gqeberha
• September 24 – Pretoria
• October 1 – Durban
• October 8 – East London
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