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12 February 2020 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Supplied
Wellness
Join the UFS Health and Wellness Expo for two days of free services and activities for the entire family.

UFS Health  and Wellness Expo Programme

The University of the Free State (UFS) is on a mission to get Bloemfontein fit, in mind, body and soul. The UFS will host its first-ever Health and Wellness Expo on the Bloemfontein Campus from 20-21 February, targeting UFS staff and students as well as the broader Bloemfontein community.

The expo, organised by the Department of Human Resources’ Division for Organisational Development and Employee Wellness, will have four pillars that are underscored by the dimensions of wellness. “These four pillars will be exhibitions, medical screening tests, health talks and exercise sessions,” said Arina Engelbrecht, UFS Employee Wellness Specialist.

Staff, students and visitors will have the opportunity to explore a variety of stalls, learn new approaches of conquering health concerns and enhance their physical fitness and financial wellness, as well as nutrition. This year’s event features highlights such as Buti yoga, which combines jump training (plyometrics), tribal dancing and dynamic yoga asanas. This will be followed by fun, functional training with Ben Zwane, a fitness class suitable for all strength levels ranging from beginners to professional sports people. And if you are interested in a four or eight kilometre run or walk, both options will also be on offer. 

Nurturing the Wellness Tree of Bloemfontein

According to Engelbrecht, the goal is to build awareness around the need to live a healthier and a more active life among staff and the broader community. “The expo aims to assist the community in gaining knowledge about various options to lead a healthier life,” she said.

With the theme: Shaping the Wellness Tree of Bloemfontein and granted that the benefits of living a healthier life have been well-researched and documented, the Division hopes the expo will encourage people to lead improved lives that lead to higher levels of engagement and productivity. 

For more information contact Arina Engelbrecht at gesal@ufs.ac.za or on +27 83 644 9980.



News Archive

Department of Oncology provides hyperbaric chamber to cancer patients – a first in the Free State
2016-03-21

Description: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy  Tags: Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

From the left: De Villiers Brink, Gys Botes (both of the Par3 Golfday group that donated towards the hyperbaric chamber), Dr Alicia Sheriff (Head of the UFS Department of Oncology) and Prof Gert van Zyl (Dean of the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences).

Thanks to the Department of Oncology at the University of the Free State (UFS), cancer patients now have access to a hyperbaric chamber – a medical treatment that enhances the body’s healing process through the inhalation of oxygen.

In order to realise this tremendous addition to the treatment of cancer patients, the Department of Oncology established collaboration between the UFS School of Medicine, the Free State Department of Health, and a group of private donors. Currently the only one in the Free State, the hyperbaric chamber has been installed at the Oncology ward at National Hospital in Bloemfontein and will benefit not only patients from the Free State, but also the North West province and the Northern Cape.

While lying down in the chamber, the patient’s body absorbs more oxygen as a result of the high levels of air pressure. This process stimulates the healing of cancer wounds and various other injuries, including sports injuries.

Dr Alicia Sherriff, Head of the Department of Oncology (UFS), says her team is passionate about enhancing the quality of their patients’ lives, even when facing difficult circumstances. “I believe that the hyperbaric chamber is just one way of achieving this, since it helps decrease the harm done by certain medical conditions on the human body,” Dr Sherriff says.

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