Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items

UFS expert to attend the WHO Traditional Medicine G20 Health Ministers Global Summit

04 May 2023 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Supplied

Prof Matsabisa Motlalepula, an African traditional medicine expert from the University of the Free State (UFS), will attend the first World Health Organisation (WHO) Traditional Medicine Global Summit in India in August after being invited to serve as a member of the Summit External Advisory Group for the WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit (“Advisory Group”).

As chairperson of the WHO Regional Expert Advisory Committee on Traditional Medicine (REACT), Prof Motlalepula, the Director of the UFS Department of Pharmacology, has been nominated to serve as the Global Summit Advisory Group expert from the WHO to provide advice on themes, content, and format of sessions, and to provide reviews and recommendations to the Summit session coordinators and speakers at the Summit.

Summit will highlight success stories

The Advisory Group is comprised of nine members nominated across the six WHO regions and globally, with recognised expertise in traditional medicines as well as expertise on the Summit focus areas that include leadership and partnership, evidence and learning, data and regulation, biodiversity and sustainability, innovation and technology.

WHO will hold its Traditional Medicine Global Summit from August 17-18, 2023, in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India, alongside the G20 health ministerial meeting. The Summit will be organised by the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine collaborating closely with all WHO major offices.

The Summit will highlight success stories in countries using traditional medicine across universal health coverage, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and Health for All. It will showcase game-changing advances in evidence, data, biodiversity and innovations that enable the safe, effective and equitable use of traditional medicine. The Summit will be a platform for all stakeholders of traditional medicine, including policymakers, practitioners, academics, private sector, civil society, community representatives, and others will discuss health and traditional medicines issues.

WHO expert

“It is always an honour and privilege for me to be asked to avail myself to the activities of such high-level United Nations bodies. I am humbled to be identified and nominated by WHO to be amongst the nine experts in the six WHO regions and globally.

“I am very honoured and will do my utmost to deliver on the global mandate as well as stick to the terms of reference of my appointment to such a prestigious global summit. This shows the trust the WHO has in my capabilities, and this is good for the institution, the continent as well as the traditional health practitioners and scientists in this field of research,” says Prof Motlalepula.

Endorsing well-researched traditional medicines

He says each time he sees the involvement of Africa in these international gatherings on traditional medicines, it marks another step toward the institutionalisation and global acceptance of African traditional medicines and medical practices in health systems. It further shows the growing role UFS is beginning to play in the global arena around traditional medicines.

According to him, he will, as always, push for WHO to be an example in support of traditional medicines and the participation of traditional health practitioners in its activities.

“I would seek from WHO to look into endorsing well-researched traditional medicine products and making them available in our health systems. Secondly, making recommendations for review of medicines regulatory authorities to reform and look favourably at traditional medicines product registration systems. I would advise on supporting continuous research into traditional medicines but more importantly for those products to be registered and put on the market.”

Prof Motlalepula says he has a few expectations, always working hard, dedicating his time and efforts to delivering what is expected, being part of a team and contributing to the overall team efforts. He expects positive resolutions moving forward the development and institutionalisation of traditional medicines, as well as a commitment to see the acceptance that the contribution of traditional medicines plays in the well-being of people and its formal contributions to universal health coverage and SDGs acknowledged.

“I expect to hear about improved financial and political support for research and fast-tracking the manufacturing of well-researched, quality, safe and effective traditional medicines and their inclusion in national health systems. I expect to hear talk about integrated health that incorporates the application of traditional medicines in national health systems. I expect indeed a few positive things around the development of traditional medicine and serious commitment to supporting it.

“Given the scope of the work of the Advisory Group, it is very clear that the work is huge for the organisation, but I am ready for this,” says Prof Motlalepula.

The scope of work for the Advisory Group has been prepared and includes:

Providing expert advice to WHO on the technical content and format of the sessions and exhibition for the WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit;
Agreeing on technical review criteria with respect to thematic coherence across the Summit, strength of evidence and data, methodologies, global relevance and other considerations;
Reviewing the proposed content of the Summit sessions and exhibitions using the technical review criteria and providing expert recommendations to ensure high-quality sessions;
Advising on the development of a journal series of papers related to the Global Summit using the agreed technical criteria to select the papers;
Providing expert inputs to Summit organisation meetings and multistakeholder consultations, as agreed with WHO;
Developing and sharing recommendations of the Summit advisory group with WHO and partners in a timely manner to inform the organisation of the Summit, as appropriate in alignment with the WHO conflict-of-interest declaration and Framework for Engagement with Non-State Actors (FENSA); and
Developing an Advisory Group report advising WHO on key lessons and priority actions following the first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit.

News Archive

Full week of graduation ceremonies at UFS in April

2015-04-10

Autumn always sees the UFS’s first graduation ceremony of the year on the Bloemfontein Campus.

From 14 – 17 April 2015, graduates will once again be rewarded for their hard work while top speakers will address them in the Callie Human Centre. There will be a ceremony at 09:00 and at 14:30 each day on all four days of the graduation.

The programme for the 2015 April Graduation is as follows:

Tuesday 14 April 2015:

Professor Himla Soodyall will be the speaker at both ceremonies on this day. Prof Soodyall is a Medical Scientist for the South African Institute for Medical Research. She is also a Principal Medical Scientist for the National Health Laboratory Service, and a Director for the Human Genome Diversity and Disease Research Unit at the University of Witwatersrand.

During the first ceremony of the day at 09:00, all diplomas/certificates and B degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will be awarded. Only Honours degrees in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences will be awarded at the 14:30 ceremony.

Wednesday 15 April 2015:

Wednesday will see Ndumiso Hadebe take the stage to address graduates at both ceremonies.

At the age of 23, Hadebe is the Founder and Managing Director of Master Frontiers Consulting, a firm that capacitates leaders and managers to achieve business goals through their people. He worked previously as a Researcher at Shanduka Black Umbrellas, a flagship enterprise and supplier development programme of the Shanduka Foundation.

He has been received numerous awards for excellence in leadership, such as the Sedibeng District Municipal Mayor’s Award for Service and Leadership. He is a Brand South Africa Ambassador and Read Educational Trust Ambassador.

All diplomas/certificates, B and Honours degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, except B Com degrees, will be awarded during the morning ceremony at 09:00. Later, at the 14:30 ceremony, only B Com degrees in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences will be awarded.

Thursday 16 April 2015:

Multiple award winning South African TV presenter, Leanne Manas, will be the speaker at both Thursday ceremonies.

Manas has graced our screens for over a decade. Not many broadcasters can boast having had live TV experience, 5 days a week for 12 years. She is currently the anchor of SABC 2’s flagship breakfast programme, Morning Live. Leanne is a qualified Speech and Drama teacher. having studied at London Trinity College. She also has an Honours degree in English.
Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of the Humanities, Social Sciences, and Communication Sciences will be awarded during the ceremony at 09:00. The 14:30 ceremony will have diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of the Humanities’ other qualifications except for Social Sciences and Communication Sciences.

Friday 17 April 2015:

Dr Maria Phalime will be the speaker at both ceremonies on Friday.

Phalime is a medical doctor and award-winning author. She practiced for a brief period as a general practitioner in South Africa and the United Kingdom, before leaving medical practice to pursue non-clinical interests. She has worked in trade and investment promotion, and has undertaken research and consulting in the areas of economic development and business facilitation.

Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculty of Education (CE, NPDE and ACE excluded) will be awarded during the ceremony at 09:00. Diplomas/certificates up to and including Honours degrees in the Faculties of Health Sciences, Law, and Theology will be awarded at the 14:30 ceremony.

Click here for the simple layout of the 2015 April Graduation programme:
http://www.ufs.ac.za/adhoc-pages/2014-graduation-ceremony/graduation-ceremony

Back

Economic and Management Sciences

Education

Health Sciences

The Humanities

Law

Natural and Agricultural Sciences

Theology and Religion

Open Distance Learning

Business School

We use cookies to make interactions with our websites and services easy and meaningful. To better understand how they are used, read more about the UFS cookie policy. By continuing to use this site you are giving us your consent to do this.

Accept