BooST Communications

The Hospital Association of South Africa elected a new Board at its Annual General Meeting earlier this month, in Johannesburg. André Joseph from Life Healthcare replaces Dr Biren Valodia from Mediclinic Southern Africa who ended a three-year stint as Chairman. Dr Valodia was re-elected as one of three Board members representing Mediclinic Southern Africa. Neil Nair, the Chief Executive Officer of the largest private independent hospital group in the country, the National Hospital Network, continues as Deputy Chairman. Mr Tienie van der Berg continues as Treasurer. The Board has been expanded from 11 members to 16 members. The Association's Chief Executive Officer, Dr Dumisani Bomela, says: "The Association is being called on to play an important role as government leads healthcare reform in the years ahead. This resizing of the HASA Board therefore is a proactive measure to both strengthen the Board with additional and necessary skills, and to add capacity to ensure the Board can respond to the growing demands placed on it. The step makes HASA well-situated to contribute to the ongoing building of a strong and accessible healthcare system for all South Africans." Outgoing Chairman of the Board, Dr Valodia, under whose leadership the Association played a key role in responding to the Covid pandemic, including the rollout of vaccinations, paid tribute to the previous Board saying their efforts ensured the organisation demonstrated its worth in the healthcare system when it supported the private hospital sector as it provided treatment of tens of thousands of South Africans suffering from the virus. In particular, Dr Valodia pointed to the invaluable and wide-ranging insights and perspectives of independent and Black-owned facilities that was provided by Neil Nair, the HASA Deputy Chairman, and that helped inform the Board’s wider and broader thinking regarding policy and related matters. Incoming Chairman, André Joseph, paid tribute to his predecessors in …

Building on a vision to create a better and healthier every day for every woman, Organon is helping women make informed choices about their reproductive health. World Contraception Day (WCD) took place on 26 September and is an annual commemoration day. The annual worldwide campaign centres around a vision where every pregnancy is wanted. WCD’s mission is to improve awareness of contraception and to enable young people to make informed choices on their sexual and reproductive health. Global women’s health company Organon is kicking off an important campaign in recognition of WCD. Titled ‘Let’s Talk About Unplanned Pregnancy’, it focuses on helping to raise awareness for the significant public health issue of unplanned pregnancy by aiming to ignite a worldwide conversation highlighting the importance of empowering women through education, information, conversation and empathy, so that they can make choices about their personal, reproductive and health needs, based on a thorough understanding of their contraceptive options. The number of children born to teen mothers in Gauteng alone has jumped 60% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gauteng Education MEC Panyaaza Lesufi said he was worried about a report that more than 23,000 teenage pregnancies were reported in Gauteng between April last year and March 2021.1 “The rates of unintended pregnancy in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa continue to be particularly high,” says Organon South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa Managing Director, Dr Abofele Khoele. “There is no better time than now, the future and during days such as World Contraception Day to focus on empowering women through education, information, empathy and conversation to help reduce unplanned pregnancy. They need to know there are options they can choose from to avoid pregnancy.” According to Save the Children, early pregnancy and motherhood in South Africa forces many girls to drop out of school, traps many in a cycle of poverty dependant …