NEW DOC ON THE BLOCK
For the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic, members of the South African Medical Association (Sama) will gather in person for their annual conference in February next year in Johannesburg.
“The country’s oldest and most prestigious association of doctors and medical professionals returns, under the theme, ‘Towards Strengthening Health Systems’; an urgent society-wide rallying cry, especially in the context of SA’s beleaguered public healthcare system.
“The sobering reality we face is that our healthcare system is in a state of distress and it’s up to all of us in healthcare to ensure it does not collapse,” said conference spokesperson Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa.
Fostering both global and local understanding of our healthcare systems, the association has been a strident advocate for evidence-based policies, ethical governance, and technological innovation within the sector. The Sama Clinical Coding Conference, the first of its kind in SA, will be collocated at the event.
“Sama works for the preservation of the medical profession through building up the resilience of our healthcare systems to withstand the challenges that may come, including pandemics, disasters, and public health emergencies,” Mzukwa said.
“Having taken learnings from the pandemic, we need to urgently future-proof our healthcare systems . . . against current and future outbreaks, including the [local and global] epidemic of noncommunicable and lifestyle diseases.
“The landmark 2024 ... [will bring] together experts from a wide variety of healthcare fields to contribute to, influence, and reflect on the policies that shape our medical landscape.”
The event will kick off with a discussion on Strengthening Health Systems, with inputs from Gift of the Givers founder Dr Imtiaz Sooliman and Sama president Prof Ken Boffard, among others.