Botswana Faces Shortage of Nurses following Zimbabwean Reconstruction – Sunday Standard

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Description

This is a news story that highlights the shortage of health professionals, specifically nurses in Botswana. The article highlights the influx of nurses from Zimbabwe as key in filling Botswana’s gap. The role of an international body in ensuring the steady flow of health professionals into Zimbabwe is detailed.

Analysis

This article highlights the shortage of nurses in Botswana as well as the gap in the health sector which is staffed by health workers from Zimbabwe.

The story does not provide infomation on the extent of the shortage. Neither does it provide analysis or reasons for the shortage. Botswana’s public health system is not addressed – its weaknesses and strengths are ignored in this report and the reader is left wondering what the reasons for the gap are and what solutions government is putting in place.

The perspective punted is: Zimbabwe’s loss is Botswana’s gain. And that the move to re-route Zimbabwean health personnel signals a warning for Botswana.

The report does not provide a breakdown of the areas that are affected by the shortage and the link to HIV/AIDS is ignored. The report does note disaggregate the shortage by gender and considering that majority of nurses are female this angle could have been pursued.

An international body’s quest to ensure the continued development of Zimbabwean health care workers and their redeployment in Zimbabwe on periodic stints is the angle pursued. It is envisaged that such a programme will address Zimbabwe’s needs. Overall the article lacks research data which was necessary in providing a richer picture of the state of health and movement of health professionals in Botswana

Headline

The headline points to the shortage of nurses in Botswana being filled by nurses from Zimbabwe. And, it signals a warning as well. The headline, Botswana Faces Shortage of Nurses following Zimbabwean Reconstruction, also brings to fore multiple issues. In this way it is thought provoking and alerts the reader to the potential and multiple facets when looking at this issue. As such the headline is not one-dimensional and gets one thinking, it is provokes thought, it disturbs the comfort zone, so to speak.

Sources

Primary and secondary sources are used. The information used includes, studies on the subject, but the information is descriptive and lacks depth. This article required comments from multiple sources, including nurses from both countries.

Much of the article is based on events that occurred in the past and this impacted on the currency of the article. Also the sources used highlight the Zimbabwe focus rather than the state of health in Botswana or the impact of what might happen should personnel be re-routed to Zimbabwe.

Language

The language was accessible. It was simple and written in formal news style. The language was factual and un-emotional. It had no bias.

Visual images

The article was a news article. There were no images accompanying the article. A graphic or illustration of some of the data could have been used to illustrate the numbers of nurses required, leaving or coming from Zimbabwe. A graph projecting the impact could have also assisted the article.

Story angle and perspective

The angle pursued is the re-routing of Zimbabwe health officials back to Zimbabwe. Another angle is raised as critical to Botswana, its shortage and concomitant impact should the re-routing be successful. The author hints at this throughout the article, however, this angle is not developed. It just threatens to surface and in this way the reader is left hanging off a cliff.

Neither does the author tackle Botswana’s nursing shortage in a holistic manner or even pursue a perspective in depth. In the main the article focuses on the role of the international body.

Placement or positioning

The article appears on the first page and is the second main article. This positioning indicates the significance and value attached to the article. It is considered important and the space it is afforded attests to this.

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