Dr Dumisani Bomela, Hospital Association of South Africa speaks to Thabiso Tema on Private hospital groups and other healthcare provider bodies saying that they have the capacity to train enough nurses, if only the government and regulators would let them. Health minister Joe Phaahla earlier this year, warned that South Africa faces a critical shortage of healthcare professionals, pointing to a doctor-patient ratio of 1 doctor per 3,198 people. Phaahla described it as a ‘shocking state of affairs’.