BREAKING | Eastern Cape makes U-turn on axing of hundreds of nurses

The Eastern Cape provincial government has made a U-turn on its initial decision not to renew the contracts of 625 nursing interns.

The news met with fierce criticism when DispatchLIVE broke it on Thursday, with many social media users questioning the move as the nurses played a pivotal role in the battle against Covid-19.

The provincial government backtracked after premier  Oscar Mabuyane met with director-general Mbulelo Sogoni as well as  health and the treasury departments.

The nurses will now  be absorbed into the system.

"All districts have been requested to submit their needs so that the nurses could be placed where their services are mostly and desperately needed," said provincial health spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo on Thursday.

This is a developing story.

DispatchLIVE