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UFS assists Free State Department of Health with COVID-19 vaccinations

26 May 2021 | Story André Damons | Photo Sonia Small (Kaleidoscope Studios)

Vacinne centre _web read more — Mr Godfrey Mahlatsi, Acting Head of the Free State Department of Health; Ms Montseng Tsiu, Free State MEC of Health; Ms Sisi Ntombela, Premier of the Free State; and Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, give the thumbs up to the vaccination centre at the Universitas Academic Hospital.

As a public institution, the University of the Free State (UFS) always wants to play a role in society through its expertise, facilities, and assets. It is for this reason that the university is assisting the Free State Department of Health to equip the vaccination centre at the Universitas Academic Hospital to function optimally as one of the primary vaccination sites in Bloemfontein.

Prof Francis Petersen, Rector and Vice-Chancellor, says the university decided to assist the department by providing computers, chairs, tables, and installing network cables at the vaccination centre which opened on Monday May 24 2021. The recovery room where patients are monitored after being vaccinated was also equipped. The university’s School of Nursing is also training its students to help with the vaccination process.

Prof Petersen, together with Prof Gert van Zyl, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences; Ms Sisi Ntombela, Premier of the Free State; Ms Montseng Tsiu, MEC of Health; and Mr Godfrey Mahlatsi, Acting Head of the Department of Health, paid a visit to the vaccination centre on Tuesday 25 May 2021.

UFS part of the broader community

“The UFS is a public institution and we always ask what our role in society is. We are part of the broader community so we need to play a role through our expertise, our facilities, and assets and see to what extent we can positively impact the community. This is a good example of doing that. COVID-19 is an opportunity for everyone to take hands and address it in a collaborative way.

“The UFS values our partners, and in this particular case, the Department of Health. We believe that if we can work with our partners, the impact would be that much greater. If this facility is full to capacity, we would be able to vaccinate about 3 000 people a day which would never have been achieved if we did not take hands,” says Prof Petersen.

According to him, the UFS will do the same in Qwaqwa by providing the same type of equipment. Prof Petersen also encourages South Africans, especially those over the age of 60, to register to be vaccinated.

“It is also my role as leader of the institution to encourage people to register and get vaccinated, because if you do get COVID-19 again, the impact will be lighter. This is something that we need to fight and manage.”

People are excited to be vaccinated

Premier Ntombela says the province is lucky to have the UFS as a partner. “The university has been with us since day one. We are very excited and lucky to partner with them. I think they are doing a wonderful job, not only with their expertise, but also with providing equipment for us to use. I am very happy that everything is going smoothly. Everyone wants to be vaccinated and people are excited.”

According to Dr Nicholas Pearce, Head of Surgery at the UFS – who is also heading the Universitas Hospital COVID-19-Task Team – their aim is to vaccinate between 1 500 and 2 000 people a day. “The UFS School of Nursing is busy training nursing students to assist us with vaccinating people. The university’s contribution is massive. We would not be able to do it without them,” says Dr Pearce.

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News Archive

UFS changes format of graduation ceremony

2011-04-17

The highest number of qualifications in the history of the University of the Free State (UFS) will be awarded at the autumn diploma and graduation ceremony from 9-11 May 2011, which will be held in the Callie Human Centre on our Main Campus in Bloemfontein.

From this year, the format of the ceremony will change to make it more visible to students and the public. For the first time, all the doctoral and master’s degrees from each respective faculty will be conferred during one ceremony on 11 May 2011, instead of each faculty handling these qualifications individually. Another change in the format is that the procession will gather on the Red Square in front of the Main Building and move to the Callie Human Centre from there. Both academic staff and graduands will partake in the procession.

A total of 3 674 qualifications will be conferred during this year’s graduation ceremony, including 629 diplomas, 2 613 Bachelors and honours degrees, 372 master’s degrees and 58 doctorates.

An honorary doctorate in Drama and Theatre Arts will also be awarded to theatre stalwart Mr Pieter Fourie. He is one of the most acclaimed Afrikaans playwrights in South Africa and probably the only person to have left his mark as an actor, director, artistic director and writer.

Mr Fourie was awarded the Gerhard Beukes prize for drama , was honoured for his contribution to the arts by the South African Academy for Science and Arts and was appointed as trustee of the Arts and Culture Trust of the State President in 1997. He has also served as a committee member of the South African Academy for Science and Arts.

Mr. Fourie has also been the proud recipient of the Hertzog prize for drama, two FNB-Vita awards and a Fleur Du Cap award.

The full programme for the respective ceremonies is as follows:

Monday, 9 May 2011:

At 08:30, certificates and diplomas, excluding PGED and PGES, will be awarded to graduates from the Faculty of Education and at 12:00 PGED, PGED and B and honours degrees will be awarded to students from the same faculty. At 15:30 on the same day, certificates and B and honours degrees will be awarded to students in the Faculty of the Humanities.

At 19:00, the Faculties of Education, the Humanities and Economic and Management Sciences will have their prize-giving ceremonies for outstanding achievers.

Tuesday, 10 May 2011:

At 08:30, students in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences will graduate and at and 12:00 the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Science will join them. This includes students in BML, B.Admin., B.Pub. and related honours degrees. At 15:30, 503 students from the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will receive their certificates, diplomas and B and honours degrees.

At 19:00, the Faculties of Health Sciences, Natural and Agriculture Sciences, Law and Theology will have their prize-giving ceremonies.

Wednesday, 11 May 2011:

The Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Law and the Faculty of Theology will be awarding their certificates, diplomas and B and honours degrees at 08:30. At 12:00, all faculties will award a total of 372 master’s degrees and at 15:30 a total of 58 doctorates will be conferred.

The Chancellor’s Dinner will take place in the Centenary Complex on the Main Campus of the UFS at 19:00.

The graduation ceremony of our Qwaqwa Campus will take place in the Rolihlahla Mandela Hall on the Qwaqwa Campus on 7 May 2011 at 10:00. All the faculties at this campus will confer their degrees, certificates and diplomas at this ceremony.

Media Release
21 April 2011
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Director: Strategic Communication
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: news@ufs.ac.za

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