Latest News Archive

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

UFS hosts the South African Paediatric Association conference

06 October 2023 | Story Reuben Maeko | Photo SUPPLIED

Dr Tabane — Dr Lizzy Tabane, Head of Paediatrics and Child Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Free State, gives a message of support at the 2023 SAPA Conference.

The Department of Paediatrics and Child Health at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently hosted the 2023 South African Paediatric Association conference (SAPA) in Sandton, Johannesburg, with more than 200 doctors, specialists and registrars in attendance.

The conference aimed to provide high-quality, evidence-based updates on children’s health issues and research in health care. The three-day conference focused on presentations from various paediatricians in South Africa’s health sectors.

Conference presentations

The conference explored new ways of treating different types of childhood diseases, and covered a range of topics such as learning disabilities and inclusive education, sports for children with asthma, septic shock, dyslipidaemia in children, congenital heart disease among others.

Collaborations with healthcare professionals

Head of Paediatrics and Child Health at the UFS, Dr Lizzy Tabane and her colleagues, Dr Mampoi Jonas and Prof Ute Hallbauer, were pleased with the success and outcome of the conference.

According to Dr Tabane, the professionals gather once a year to learn, exchange ideas and work together to ensure the best possible care for children in hospitals.

“The SAPA conference presents health professionals across South Africa with the latest information on paediatric health. It also ensures that children in our country continue to receive quality care through an integrated approach by allowing health professionals to connect, network, and share their knowledge and expertise,” said Dr Jonas.

“The country and the community at large are in good hands,” said Dr Tabane. “Let us not fall behind but catch up with the latest innovations, for instance, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Medicine. Our partnership with all paediatrics and other health professionals will bring unity and good child health care in our country."

“What is important is the tremendous support from all the specialists, doctors and practice nurses from different health-care departments who have consistently turned out in large numbers. The success of the conference extends beyond GPs, such as drawing in specialists, clinicians, nurses, and professionals dedicated to children’s well-being within hospitals and the community,” emphasised Dr Tabane.

Significance of the conference

Prof Hallbauer emphasised the significance of fostering collaboration to enhance integrated care, spanning both the hospital system and primary care. “This annual conference confirms our commitment to working together as doctors for the well-being of our patients. The motto we have chosen is Carpe Diem ‘Seize the Day’. For the conference this means taking hold of the programme and making the most of each conference day.

“When you meet your colleagues, build and strengthen the collegial networks, so that we can realise Letshwele le beta phoho – a SeSotho idiom meaning ‘The crowd beats the bull’,” added Prof Hallbauer.

This conference “will strengthen our relationship” with other doctors and make the health system a better place, concluded Prof Hallbauer.

News Archive

Ford foundation funds higher education redesign

2005-06-23

The Ford Foundation has pledged a grant of almost R280 000 for redesigning higher education delivery at three campuses in the Free State.

According to Prof Magda Fourie, Vice-Rector: Academic Planning at the University of the Free State (UFS), the three campuses that will be affected by the strategic reconfiguration of higher education delivery are the Qwaqwa campus at Phuthaditjhaba and the Vista campus of the UFS in Bloemfontein and the Welkom campus of the Central University of Technology (CUT).

Prof Fourie says the three campuses were all affected by the restructuring of higher education, in line with the National Plan for Higher Education.

The Qwaqwa campus of the UFS that was part of the former University of the North was incorporated into the UFS in January 2003. Likewise the Bloemfontein campus of the former Vista University was incorporated into the UFS in January 2004.

The Welkom campus of the CUT was also part of the former Vista University and was incorporated into the CUT in January 2004.

“These incorporations pose a challenge in that we have to think creatively about the best ways of using these three campuses to service the higher education, training, skills development and human resource needs of the Free State,” Prof Fourie said.

“The grant from the Ford Foundation will primarily be used to draw up strategic funding proposals for the three campuses. The Qwaqwa campus of the UFS is a priority to us given the poverty and unemployment in a largely rural area of the Free State,” said Prof Fourie.

“A detailed consultation process will be undertaken in the Qwaqwa campus sub-region which will hopefully result in a comprehensive and a coherent suite of higher education activities being established on this campus,” said Prof Fourie.

“It is envisaged that the Qwaqwa campus will become a centre of excellence in the area of rural development. This vision is based on a focused integration of the core functions of a university – teaching, research, and community service – around the issue of rural development,” said Prof Fourie.

Prof Fourie said that various educational offerings including among others short courses, bridging and foundation programmes, and degrees could be offered, with a particular focus on providing courses of relevance to students from the local rural community and students from elsewhere with an interest in focusing on rural development studies.

She said the redesign of the three affected campuses is being managed as a project of the Free State Higher Education Consortium (FSHEC) consisting of all the higher education institutions operating in the Free State.

“The aim of the project is to establish how the Qwaqwa and Vista campuses of the UFS and the Welkom campus of the CUT can be used effectively to meet regional education and training needs, to serve the strategic priorities of the two higher education institutions and contribute to the sustainable development and poverty alleviation of the region,” she said.

The planning for the Vista campus of the UFS is still in an early stage. “We are looking at the possibility of developing this campus into a hub of education and training opportunities for Bloemfontein and Free State region. Further plans will be communicated later in the year,” said Prof Fourie.

Media release

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

23 June 2005

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