Health worker shortage fuelled by AIDS

The rising number of HIV/AIDS infections in the country's health sector means South Africa is in urgent need of more nurses, a study by the South African Medical Journal has found. According to a South African Press Association report, the journal said: "Given the high prevalence of HIV - over 15 percent - in the younger population of health workers, it is critical to increase the numbers of nurses to be trained, particularly if one considers that from 1997 to 2001 the country experienced a 6.86 percent decline in the number of nurses registering with the South African Nursing Council." The journal also noted that infected workers were likely to be "doubly infected" by opportunistic diseases such as Tuberculosis, and suggested the department of health train more nurses and conduct an in-depth investigation as to why they were leaving the profession.