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Macah Foundation’s state-of-the-art hospital ‘a dream come true’

26 April 2018

Rolene Strauss Patron of the MACAH Foundation, Oupa Mohoje,
Cheetahs rugby union player, and Kesa Molotsane
who are both champions of the MACAH Foundation.
Photo: Johan Roux

Description: 2018 new new MACAH Tags: Paediatrics, mother and child, healthcare, community, research, academic hospital, Free State.

From left is: Prof Gert van Zyl, MACAH Foundation’s founding
Director and Chairman; Khumo Selebano,
newly appointed Director; Dr Riana van Zyl founding director,
and Prof Andre Venter, Founding director and Project Leader.
Photo: Johan Roux

The Mother and Child Academic Hospital (Macah) Foundation was launched at the University of the Free State (UFS) on 24 April 2018. The foundation is instrumental in the building of a state-of-the-art academic hospital that will provide antenatal care and comprehensive health services for mothers, infants and children in Central South Africa. The hospital will be developed under a project in a partnership between UFS, Afrisky Holdings, and the Free State Department of Health, and will be located on the university’s Bloemfontein Campus but will be privately owned and operated.

Prof Francis Petersen, UFS Rector and Vice-Chancellor, said in his opening remarks this high-level partnership was a demonstration of the power of working together to implement innovation and development, promoting research and academic excellence, while serving communities that are most in need. “This project is possibly the first of its kind in South Africa. I am really proud that the UFS can be a part of it,” he said.

Officials from the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality; Deputy Director General of the Free State Department of Health, Mr Sekgothe Polelo; members of the UFS rectorate; senior academics in the Faculty of Health Sciences; Dr Rolene Strauss, former Miss World and patron of the Macah Foundation; as well Kesa Molotsane, athlete and UFS student, who is the new face of the Macah Foundation, as well as Oupa Mohoje, Springbok rugby player and captain of the Toyota Free State Cheetahs, who is also the face Macah Foundation among others, were present at the event. Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, said the university had a pivotal role to play in shaping the future of children who are the future generation. “If we fail our children, we fail our future, our culture and our being,” he said.

The Macah Foundation’s “Make the first 1000 Days Count” programme emphasises the importance of childcare in the first 1000 days. By the age of five, almost 90% of a child’s brain will be developed. Therefore, it is vital that this period is well monitored to ensure the child grows to be a vigorous and happy individual. As nurturer, a mother’s health is just as significant from conception to birth and beyond. The R20-million programme is still in its early stages, but has already received great support.

Prof André Venter, one of the founding directors of Macah, and Head of Paediatrics and Child Health at the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences, said the success of the mother and child hospital was like a dream come true.

“We have been working on this concept for seven years. It is a privilege for me to work with children, but more so when we can combine so many skills and expertise in developing a world-class facility that will help members of our communities to thrive.”

The foundation is growing steadily and its founding directors are calling on corporates, businesses, and individuals to support it through their influence, loyalty and financial means.

To find out more about the foundation and pledge your support, visit www.macahfoundation.org.za or send an email to Tertia de Bruin on debruintr@ufs.ac.za or foundation@macahfoundation.org.za

News Archive

Another boost for sport at the UFS

2005-10-13

A contract formalizing the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was signed by Prof Verschoor and Mr Morne du Plessis in the historic Main Building of the UFS Bloemfontein campus.

The University of the Free State (UFS) has officially appointed Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd, which has former Springbok rugby captain Morné du Plessis as managing director, to manage its Centre for Exercise and Sport Science Services (CESSS) on the Bloemfontein campus.

According to Prof Teuns Verschoor, Vice-Rector: Academic Operations, the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is another step in the implementation of the UFS’s wide-ranging sport strategy to improve sport facilities and elevate formerly marginalized sports such as soccer, hockey, netball, tennis etc.

Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is the manager of the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and coordinates and manages the national basketball high-performance programme of SA Basketball, as well as the Boxing Academy on behalf of Boxing South Africa.

“It is also actively involved with the sports plans of several tertiary institutions like that of the University of Johannesburg and the University of Stellenbosch,” said Prof Verschoor.

“Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was also appointed by the Ministry of Sport and Recreation to manage the allocation of sports codes to high-performance centres and to oversee the allocation of monies received from the National Lottery to these centres – this includes the CESSS at the UFS,” Prof Verschoor added.

In unfolding its national sports plan, the Ministry of Sport and Recreation has already identified the UFS-based CESSS as the high-performance testing centre for the national basketball teams whilst the national boxing teams are also earmarked to be trained at the UFS.

“We are glad to be associated with a company of this stature and look forward to work with them in the further development of sports at the UFS,” said Prof Verschoor.

According to Prof Verschoor, the CESSS will act as a centralised body that is responsible for the coordination and management of joint initiatives between professional service providers, research projects and KovsieSport.

“The centre will also coordinate and manage joint initiatives between various academic programmes in different academic subject fields such as sports medicine, bio kinetics, physiotherapy, dietetics, etc. ,” said Prof Verschoor.

These initiatives will help the UFS to become a centre and catalyst of sports development, to become internationally recognised in the field of exercise and sports science research and to become a centre for high quality sports performance enhancement.

Some of the objectives of the CESSS are:

To provide sports science services like to athletes, students, the general public and other stakeholders including certain national sport teams.
To provide the necessary teaching and training facilities and internship opportunities for UFS students in sports related fields of study will also be provided by the centre like human movement science.
To present skills-transfer programmes directed at the broader community like development of skills in various sporting codes.
To continue and extend the current chronic risk reversal programmes presented by the Department of Human Movement Science such as obesity management, cardiac rehabilitation and other lifestyle related conditions.

The centre was founded in 2003 and was until now managed by Dr Louis Holtzhausen, from Kovsie Health and a consultant, Dr Gary Vorster.

A contract formalizing the appointment of Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd was signed today by Prof Verschoor and Mr Morne du Plessis in the historic Main Building of the UFS Bloemfontein campus.

The manager of the centre appointed by Sports Plan (Pty) Ltd is Mr Charles Store, an alumnus of the UFS, previously employed at the Sports Science Institute in Cape Town and by the SANDF at 3 Military Hospital, Bloemfontein.

Media release
Issued by: Anton Fisher
Director: Strategic Communication
072-207-8334
12 October 2005

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