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19 July 2021

The Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences invites all its academic departments to participate in the 2021 celebration of Nelson Mandela Day by requesting their staff and students to become involved in a 67-minute fitness challenge to be held over a seven-day period, commencing on 18 July 2021. These kilometres can be completed by running, walking, swimming or on a bicycle (no vehicles permitted). 

These activities may be completed at any location, at any time from 18 to 25 July 2021 (terminating at midnight on 25 July). This ensures that social distancing protocols are adhered to, since each individual is completing the challenge on their own.

Participants will be required to provide relevant proof of the distance completed, as well as the date and time interval, by either submitting a picture of the treadmill screen, sharing the progress they logged by using a mobile app such as Strata, pictures of the number of steps completed, etc. (Send this via email to Reabetswe Parkies at Parkiesrg@ufs.ac.za upon completion – at the latest by 08:00 on 26 July 2021.)

Raising funds

To raise funds, each department in the faculty is requested to consider sponsoring a specific amount per kilometre completed by their staff and students. It is recommended that each department consider its available budget for this purpose and that the total departmental contribution should be capped at a specific amount to ensure that departments are not faced with open-ended liabilities.  We have sought and obtained approval from the Department of Finance for the use of UFS funds in this manner. To this end, for example, the School of Accountancy has pledged to contribute R10 per kilometre completed, capped at a maximum contribution of R6 700.

To encourage healthy competition and to increase the amount raised, departments will be encouraged to compete against each other and attempt to complete the most kilometres. Each department will donate their pledges to the charity of their choice.  In support of this noble cause, the Dean’s office has pledged a donation of R6 700 to the winning academic department, to be added to the department’s donation to the charity. 

We believe this is a very good marketing initiative, as well as an opportunity for the faculty to illustrate its commitment to social investment and community engagement.  It is also likely to contribute to improving the morale of the staff in the faculty. The UFS Community Engagement office has further indicated that it would like to arrange a radio interview to promote this event – to this end, we can raise awareness and place the spotlight on a worthy cause.

News Archive

UFS to monitor the use of ARV-drugs on pregnant women and children
2004-12-08

The University of the Free State (UFS) is to establish a Pharmacovigilance Centre that will monitor the effects of Anti-Retroviral (ARV) drugs on HIV positive pregnant women and children starting early in the new year.

The UFS is one of only two institutions chosen by the Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, to establish such an ARV monitoring centre.

The other centre will be based at Medical University of South Africa (MEDUNSA) and will concentrate mainly on monitoring the effects of the drugs on adults.

“The establishment of the UFS’s Pharmaconvigilance Centre forms part of government’s Comprehensive Plan on HIV and AIDS, often termed the roll-out plan for ARV drugs. The centre’s primary responsibility will be to specifically monitor the use of these drugs in pregnant women, and children under the age of 13,” said Prof Andrew Walubo of the UFS’s Department of Pharmacology.

“Although most of the side effects of ARV drugs have been identified in other countries, it has now become critical to identify the side effects amongst the South African population. This is important because many people will be exposed to the drugs within a short time. Our aim is so identify the most common side effects and make recommendations for the prevention thereof. The centre will help in detecting the risk of using anti-retroviral drugs in pregnancy and children, and prevention of adverse drug reactions,” said Prof Walubo.

According to Prof Walubo 12 drugs will be monitored – these drugs will be selected according to the patient’s profile.

The centre will comprise of two components: A pregnancy registry, which will focus on a new-born child up until two months and a pediatric registry, which will focus on children who are born of mothers who used ARV drugs and children using ARV drugs.

According to Prof Walubo, the Pharmaconvigilance Centre will also be responsible for offering relevant technical advice, training and selected research on ARV drugs in these patients.

The centre will be fully sponsored by the national Department of Health. It will be based in the UFS’s Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Pharmacology, and will be run in collaboration with experts from different departments in the faculty.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
8 December 2004

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