2014 Provincial Cecilia Makiwane Nurse's Recognition Award Ceremony

The Western Cape Government Health held its annual Cecilia Makiwane Nursing Recognition Award ceremony on 10 November 2014 at the Stellenbosch Town Hall, Stellenbosch. This is an initiative to honor nurses for their valued contribution within the Department.

In his key note address the Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha, spoke about the challenges that face nurses in the public sector. “In the Western Cape the extraordinary increase of patient numbers has put a huge burden on our nursing staff. The ratio of nursing staff versus patient numbers is not on par, which means we are struggling to have  the desired impact on the burden of disease in the province. However, this trend  is a global phenomenon. In addition, the Western Cape has a shortage of qualified, specialty professional nurses in all areas, which  is why we encourage nurses to specialize.”

“However, despite these challenges the current vacancy rate for nursing posts in the Western Cape is 4.86% which is excellent in comparison to other provinces where the average vacancy rate is 40 percent.

” We are very proud of the hard work and commitment shown by many of our nurses who drive our primary health care system in the province”.

The Cecilia Makiwane Award was named after the first black registered professional nurse in South Africa.  In 1898, an experimental nurse’s training school was opened for black nurses at the Lovedale Mission Hospital and in 1902 a three-year nursing course was introduced at Lovedale College. Cecilia Makiwane enrolled in 1903 and on completion, was sent to Butterworth Hospital in the Eastern Cape for further training to prepare for the Colonial Medical Council examination. On 7 January 1908, after passing her exams, Makiwane was registered as the first black professional nurse.

Several honors have been bestowed upon Cecilia Makiwane and show the regard with which the medical fraternity holds her. Amongst them are: a statue of Makiwane being erected in 1977 and a hospital near East London being named after her. Her pioneering work in the Health Sector in South Africa still remains relevant today.  The Department would like to express their sincere gratitude to those who form the backbone of our health system. Tribute is paid to the dedicated nurses who have been making a real contribution with commitment and dedication to the health system in the Western Cape.

This year’s award had 14 of the best candidates or nominees chosen by their colleagues at their respective institutions. These are the women and men who sacrificed their time and went a step further in ensuring that the health fraternity in the province remains at a high standard. A winner, second and first runner-up was identified by a panel of their peers and received a monetary reward as well as certificates and trophies.
Criteria:
The selection criteria included living up to the nurses’ pledge and nursing ethics; going beyond the call of duty; having a positive attitude to patients and colleagues; contributing to effective management, community outreach and research; and being part of a multi-disciplinary health care team.

Winners Profile:
Judiac Ranape, a clinical nurse practitioner at the Lady Michaelis Community Day Centre is a Women’s Health champion responsible for managing the TOP services at Lady Michaelis. Her responsibilities include, planning, managing and executing all women’s health activities and functions. She delivers an excellent, professional and empathetic service. Sr Ranape allows her clients to see her on a walk-in basis and is available to them on a 24/7 response call system. She upholds the CAIR values of caring, responsiveness and integrity. She selflessly gives them (patients) her cell phone number and gives support, guidance and advice after hours.
Sr Ranape ensures her patients are knowledgeable about the procedure and gives them a comprehensive counseling session before and after the process. She is adamant that women must understand the process, so that they make informed decisions and know what occurs post procedure.
She remains at work after hours to ensure that patients are cared for, receives treatment or is referred for further care because she is ICU trained and very comfortable managing a client in need of referral care.

Western Cape Provincial Nominees
1) Kay Ann Simpson (Drakenstein Sub-District)
2) Jason Jefta (Oudtshoorn Hospital)
3) Delena Cloete (Elim Clinic) (First Runner Up)
4) Magrieta Maarman (Louwville PHC Clinic)
5) Dannelene Noach (Mitchell’s Plain Hospital)
6) Charmaine van Rooyen (Karl Bremer Hospital)
7) Bukelwa Sibidla (Michael Mpongwana CHC) (Second Runner Up)
8) Judiac Ranape (Lady Michaelis CHC) (Winner)
9) Galiema Gamieldien (Groote Schuur Hospital)
10) Bertha Bailey (Tygerberg Hospital)
11) Brenda Joshua (Red Cross Children’s Memorial Hospital)
12) Shirley James (Western Cape Rehabilitation Centre)
13) Elizabeth September (Lentegeur Hospital)
14) Evalina van Wijk (Western Cape College of Nursing)