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09 June 2022 | Story André Damons | Photo Supplied
Prof Motlalepula Matsabis
Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa is a professor and Director of Pharmacology at the University of the Free State (UFS) and will play host to and lead a World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) and the African Union Commission (AU) mission to South Africa.
Prof Motlalepula Matsabisa, Director of Pharmacology at the University of the Free State (UFS), and his department will host representatives from the World Health Organisation (WHO) Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP), the African Union Commission (AU) and the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Expert Advisory Committee on Traditional Medicines for COVID-19 (REACT) experts, during a mission to South Africa.  

According to Prof Matsabisa, who is the chairperson of REACT, the main purpose of the mission is to meet with researchers in preclinical and as well as those conducting clinical trials for herbal medicines for COVID-19, medicines regulators, ethics committee and the local pharmaceutical companies in the herbal medicines production for COVID-19. The expected outcome of this mission is to take stock of best practices or challenges in traditional medicines research, clinical trials, ethics and medicine regulation around traditional medicines as well as capabilities in local traditional medicine products production.  

“The mission will also be looking at technical capabilities for researchers to conduct clinical trials, identify facilities conducting clinical trials, as well as pharmaceutical companies in local production of herbal medicinal products so as to recommend to the AU, countries and member states about these capabilities and how to pool resources together.

“The mission will also be looking for best research traditional medicinal products that have undergone preclinical and clinical research and produced locally so that such products could be recommended for endorsement by the WHO. At the end of the mission a report will be produced and presented to the WHO and the Department of Health and all stakeholders as well as making this report available to WHO HQ in Geneva,” says Prof Matsabisa.

This is an excellent mission given that it has been recognising the research excellence of the UFS Pharmacology IKS to attract international United Nations (UN) bodies and the AU. The Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) for Health in the Department of Pharmacology, within the UFS Faculty of Health Sciences, has excelled in the research and development of traditional medicines.  

“The Pharmacology IKS is the first in the country and sub-region to have its research product PHELA, a traditional medicine, to receive ethics approval from Pharma Ethics and South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to be tested in a Phase II clinical trial on COVID-19 patients. This clinical study is a multicentre study conducted at clinical trial sites in Vereeniging, Kimberley and Port Elizabeth.  

“It is for this reason that Pharmacology IKS is hosting the WHO Africa CDC, EDCTP and the AU Commission Mission to South Africa delegation for coming to note the best research practices on traditional medicines research, clinical trials and manufacturing of the herbal medicinal products. Pharmacology IKS will take this mission around the country to visit key collaborators in the project, to funders of the project, and some industry partners involved in the research and production of PHELA.” 

The delegation will be at the UFS Bloemfontein Campus for the whole day of 17 June 2022, meeting with senior management, meeting chairpersons of ethics committees, visiting different laboratories including Virology, Medical Microbiology, Pharmacology and Farmovs. The other institutions the mission will meet include the National Department of Health, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), Pharma Ethics, Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) on 13 June 2022. The high-level delegation will visit all three clinical trial sites in Vereeniging, Kimberley and Gqeberha where the Pharmacology PHELA COVID-19 clinical trials are being undertaken. During the visits the mission delegation will be in discussion with participants about best practices that could be taken and expanded throughout the continent and also to hear about challenges so that the WHO could assist.

News Archive

School of Medicine expands to provide quality tuition
2015-04-20

 

The School of Medicine at the University of the Free State (UFS) has recently extended various training platforms to provide continuous quality tuition to students.

Not only does the school boast a world-class dissection hall but now has plans for additional training facilities at two more hospitals.

The new dissection hall was completed in January 2015 with some final finishing touches that will be done shortly. The hall is newly built as the previous dissection hall has been used for undergraduate anatomy training since 1972.

Dr Sanet van Zyl, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Science, says owing to a prospective growth in the number of medical students as well as changing methods in teaching and learning, the need for a new dissection hall became evident to ensure that students get an optimal learning experience during dissection tuition.

“The new spacious dissection hall is equipped with special lighting and modern equipment for the training programme for second-year medical students. The hall is further equipped with modern sound and computer equipment. A unique camera system will allow students to follow dissection demonstrations on ten screens in the hall. Dissection demonstrations can also be recorded, enabling lecturers to put together new materials for teaching and learning.”

In addition to anatomy teaching for under- and postgraduate medical students, the Department of Basic Medical Science also offers anatomy teaching to under-graduate students from the School of Nursing, the School of Allied Health Professions as well as students from the Natural and Agricultural Sciences (such as students studying Forensic Science). The old dissection hall will still be used for the anatomy training of these students.

“The dissection programme for medical students is of critical importance, not only to acquire anatomical knowledge, but also for the development of critical skills and professionalism of our students. As already mentioned, these modern facilities will enable us to be at the forefront of current development in this field. This will benefit both present and future generations of medical students.”

At the same time, Prof Alan St. Clair Gibson, Head of the School of Medicine, announced that lecturing facilities are being developed at the Kimberley Hospital Complex. There are also plans for study facilities at the UFS’s Qwaqwa Campus and Bongani Hospital in Welkom. The UFS’s planning is also well underway for lecturing and residential facilities for students in Trompsburg, where students will receive training at the Trompsburg Hospital.

“We are very privileged to have these facilities and they will help us to provide world class training for students in the School of Medicine,” Prof St. Clair Gibson says.

 

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