THE provision of health services in North West received another shot in the arm at the weekend, with more nurses allocated to clinics in the Rustenburg area.

Nine community nurses were introduced into health facilities in the area last Saturday.

North West health department spokesman Tebogo Lekgethwane said the migration of more people to Rustenburg - in search of work in mines and other sectors - motivated the provincial government to staff clinics in the area with more nurses.

"These nurses are among 62 community nurses who were released by Mmabatho College of Nursing to do their mandatory community service in clinics across the province .

"This is in addition to 108 community service nurses that were released to do community service in January," he said.

Lekgethwane said 73 community nurses would again be released from Excelsius College of Nursing in June.

"The department will use a revitalisation grant to restore the two nursing colleges and four nursing schools in Taung, Moses Kotane, Witrand and Thusong hospitals.

"Revitalised nursing colleges will allow the department to increase the annual intake of nursing students, thereby helping to deal effectively with an acute shortage of nurses.

MEC for health Magome Masike appealed to the public to make use of community health centres and public clinics.

"This comes amid an overflow of patients visiting hospitals with cold cases that could have been treated at primary health level," he said.