Latest News Archive

Please select Category, Year, and then Month to display items
Previous Archive
09 October 2023 | Story André Damons | Photo André Damons
A multimillion-rand grant will assist UFS to develop palliative care structures and services in FS
The palliative care team consists of (at the back, from l.t.r) Rethabile Matuka (M&E Officer), Matron Mitta Sauli and Khomotso Makhura (social worker student). In the middle: Viaan Lucas (left, social worker) and Thobeka Maziya (social worker student). In front: Sr Elizabeth Lekoeneha, Dr Dalene van Jaarsveld and Prof Alicia Sherriff.

A multimillion-rand grant will assist the Department of Oncology at the University of the Free State (UFS) to initiate the implementation of palliative care services in the Free State province and help to improve the quality of life of patients and their families living with a life-threatening disease.

The grant from the Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation (BMSF) has already improved the quality of life for patients living with advanced progressive life-threatening diseases (cancer, renal failure, heart failure, AIDS, lung disease) as well as for their families. Prof Alicia Sherriff, head of the UFS Department of Oncology, and Dr Dalene van Jaarsveld, Lecturer and Medical Specialist in the same department, are project leaders for the grant that UFS administers. The grant is for a period three years.

According to Dr Van Jaarsveld, they have also planned for a 10-bed inpatient facility at the Universitas Academic Complex that will be able to accommodate a family member of patients receiving care in preparation for their down referral for home-based care. This unit will also be used as a training facility for all undergraduate health-care students. The grant will provide staff for a limited period to assist the Free State Department of Health (FSDOF) in preparing to absorb the services. They are currently awaiting commitment from the FSDOH to start with renovation of this unit. 

Situation in the Free State 

Palliative care, explains Dr Van Jaarsveld, provides a service that improves the quality of life of a patient, and his/her family, diagnosed with a life-limited disease. “It is not only for patients who are terminally ill and should ideally be implemented much earlier in the patient's disease journey. Palliative care is a basic human right,” she says. 

“A National Policy Framework and strategy on the implementation on palliative care for South Africa for 2012-2022 was published by National Department of Health. We recognised in 2019 that there was no implementation initiated in the Free State, and no budget allocated to the implementation of this critical service.  

“Many patients in the province live with these advanced progressive diseases and experience a very poor quality of life that translates into a poor quality of death with a high symptom-burden and suffering during their last days. Similarly, the family will suffer immensely,” says Dr Van Jaarsveld. 

Prof Sherriff says they applied for this international grant to assist with the startup of these structures while the FSDOH is given the opportunity to setup the necessary budget to ensure long-term sustainability of this human right as a health-care service. 

In the Free State about 16,000 patients die every year with a high need for palliative care. Dr Van Jaarsveld says of the 15 functioning hospices in 2014 and home-based carers that were offering hospice care in most of the sub-districts in the Free State, there are only four registered hospices remaining. Of these only one has four beds where patients can be admitted. The others provide limited care to a very small area, leaving most of the districts in the Free State without any form of palliative care and support.  Most of the other provinces have different levels of palliative-care services available. The grant provides funds to initiate the implementation of this service in the Free State. 

They are working closely with the FSDOH on a provincial implementation plan that will eventually, once the grant has ended, be taken forward by the province, says Dr Van Jaarsveld. 

Impact of the grant

Through the grant a project manager, professional nurse and administrative support are employed as part of a core team at Universitas Academic Hospital with a social worker. They have received training in palliative care supported by the grant. This team, together with Dr van Jaarsveld, provides a consultation service at the Universitas Academic Hospital Complex. 

“Nearly 700 patients have been referred for palliative care in the past year and have therefore benefited (with their families) from the grant. Another two professional nurses have been employed via the grant as hub managers for the Thabo Mofutsanyane and Lejweleputswa districts. Both are currently doing training in palliative care. Once a patient is seen by the team, a palliative care plan is developed, family meetings are held, and a discharge care plan set in place. 

“To ensure continuity of care, the patients are handed over to one of the nurses managing the districts where the patients are from for further follow-up and support. This is sadly not possible in all districts,” says Dr Van Jaarsveld. 

With the grant, the palliative care team, in close collaboration with Hospice Bloemfontein, have started with accredited palliative care training for nurses and other health professionals working for the FSDOH in all districts of the province. This will help with down-referral pathways and support for patients from districts without a dedicated palliative care nurse. 

UFS and Vision 130

Dr Claire Armour Barrett, Head: Research and Development in the School of Clinical Medicine at UFS says this project is critically aligned with the second key tenet of the UFS Vision 130, maximum societal impact with sustainable relationships. Although this project is still in its early phase, almost 700 patients and as many as 2100 family members have been positively affected by this work. 

“We believe that we are bringing the UFS closer to the theme of the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day for 2023, Compassionate Communities: Together for Palliative Care. We are actively increasing awareness in communities, advocating for patients and families in need not only through service delivery, but also by education and collaboration. We are stronger together.”

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is celebrated every year on 14 October.

News Archive

New guidelines to increase diversity in student residences at the UFS
2007-06-08

As from 2008, the University of the Free State (UFS) will implement new policy guidelines for student residences so as to increase diversity on the Main Campus of the UFS in Bloemfontein.

These new policy guidelines were approved by the Council of the UFS today (Friday 8 June 2007) after consultations with a range of stakeholders, especially students currently in residences, student leaders and student organisations, with inputs received from alumni and parents as well.

According to a statement by the Chairperson of the UFS Council, Judge Faan Hancke, and the Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, Prof. Frederick Fourie, the guidelines are based on an educational rationale with a definite educational objective.

“What the UFS seeks to do with these new policy guidelines, is to overcome the racial divides of the past and equip students in residences with the knowledge and skills to understand people from other cultures, appreciate other languages and to respect differences in religion but also economic background,” Judge Hancke and Prof. Fourie said in their statement.

“This will give students in UFS residences a distinct advantage over many other work seekers in South Africa, because the workplace today is a very diverse place with people of many backgrounds,” Judge Hancke and Prof. Fourie said in their statement.
They said the UFS wanted to establish a new model of residence life in which students will voluntarily embrace diversity and learn about diversity so as to add value to their educational experience in a residence.

In the late 1990s the UFS made the first attempt to integrate its residences which led to violent clashes between white and black students. A compromise agreement was reached based on freedom of association but this has over the years led to the current situation of largely white and largely black residences.

To support students during the implementation of the new policy guidelines, the management of the UFS will establish several mechanisms and programmes for students to empower them, to build their capacity and to facilitate a smooth transition to a new model of student life in the residences.

Judge Hancke and Prof. Fourie said the decision is another important milestone in the ongoing transformation of the UFS and in the provision of quality higher education for all UFS students, and that the decision had been taken in the best interests of the students.

“This is a very carefully managed transition to bring about a non-racial character to our student residences in line with the Constitution and the ethos of a democratic South Africa,” Judge Hancke and Prof. Fourie said.

How the new policy will work in practice

As from 2008, the new policy aims to bring about an important shift in the way first-years are placed in a residence. From 2008 first-year students are to be placed to achieve a minimum diversity level of 30% in each junior residence.

In senior residences a mix of approximately 50-50 will be the goal from 2008.
Residences will be responsible for placing 50% of first-years, which gives them the scope to increase diversity. The university’s accommodation service will place the other 50%. All these placements must occur in accordance with the educational rationale and the related diversity objective.

If a residence cannot reach the diversity objectives, the university will use the 50% of placements that it controls to achieve sufficient diversity in a particular residence.

Support mechanisms for students

According to Dr Ezekiel Moraka, Vice-Rector: Student Affairs, students in the residences will not be left on their own to deal with the issues of diversity. The management of the UFS has identified several important areas where the process may need support, especially in the early stages of implementation. Students and student leadership will be involved in the further design and finalisation of the implementation details.

These areas where support will be finalised are the following:

  • Providing properly trained and qualified personnel (such as live-in wardens, residence heads etc.) to supervise the implementation of the policy on a 24-hour basis;
  • Ongoing orientation workshops for all students in residences to deal with diversity in a mature way;
  • Support to deal with language issues, including interpreting services so that language rights of all students can be respected; and
  • Assistance with the review of residence governance, administrative and other procedures that have been used in residences up to now.

“There can therefore be no doubt that the management is committed to the well-supported and successful implementation of this new policy and to giving the best possible education to all our students,” Judge Hancke and Prof Fourie said.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
8 June 2007
 

 
 

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