North West student nurses' strike not affecting health facilities

The Department of Health in the North West says the two weeks strike at the nursing college in Mmabatho near Mahikeng will not affect the daily running at various clinics and hospitals.

The students are boycotting work, demanding that their transport and accommodation issues be resolved.

The department's spokesperson Tebogo Lekgethwane says the strike will only affect the students' education.

He says that the department is concerned about the strike because it is hampering the learning of the students, but the department wants to speedily resolve it.

"We can also confirm that various clinics across the province, health services are being rendered to the patients because the students only go to the clinics for practical experience," says Lekgethwane.

He says that the professional nurses are the people in charge of the services in various clinics and hospitals.