It is the investment into South Africa’s health education that will result in positive health outcomes for all, according to Professor Thulisile Madonsela, The Law Trust Chair in Social Justice in her conference speech on human rights and equity, at the recent Stellenbosch University (SU) – Consortium of Universities in Global Health (CUGH) African Global Health Conference.
“I am not just talking about formal education,” stated Mandonsela. “The mistake is that we think that education [about health topics] will only come from schools, and that is where we are not extending enough education to those outside of the school tracks.”
A glimmer of hope that came as a result of COVID-19 is that Africa emerged once more as a co-creator of knowledge, according to Professor Thulisile Mandonsela, The Law Trust Chair in Social Justice. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
To address the unequal access to health-care in South Africa there must be an ongoing education initiative for how to re-stratify health services and use our resources efficiently, specified Mandonsela.
The SU-CUGH African Global Health Conference took place from 28-30 October and was held at the Protea hotel in Stellenbosch.
In the 2020 Covid-19 community interventions case study, associate professor Klaus von Pressentin and fellow researchers learnt a number of valuable lessons according to Von Pressentin. “We learnt a renewed appreciation of social determinants of health, resilience in social networks, valuing self-efficacy, and co-creating service interventions in partnership with patients and communities,” stated Von Pressentin. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
Opportunity to come together
At the SU-CUGH African Global Health Conference, international speakers, researchers and guests came together to address questions including; whether South Africa has the right health care systems in place and if the country has the correct mechanisms to address current health challenges.
This is according to Dr Nyambura Mwagiru, head of Tygerberg International Office (TI) within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch University.
The Tygerberg International Office was one of the main organisers of the SU-CUGH African Global Health Conference, according to Dr Nyambura Mwagiru, head of Tygerberg International Office (TI) within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch University. “We started planning this conference in 2021,” stated Mwagiru. “Our office was responsible for the coordination of the conference, the planning, the program, invitations as well as the marketing.” PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
“A forum such as the SU-CUGH African Global Health Conference was an opportunity for great minds to come together, to ask the hard questions and to find sustainable solutions for the future,” stated Mwagiru.
National health issues will only be solved when everybody comes together collaboratively by contributing from their respective areas of expertise, explained Mwagiru.
The SU-CUGH African Global Health Conference provided an opportunity for networking between early career researchers and young students, to senior professors and researchers in the medicine and health fields, according to Dr Nyambura Mwagiru, head of Tygerberg International Office (TI) within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS) at Stellenbosch University. PHOTO: Chelsea Burnell
Education is key
As part of health education, it is important for South Africans to be educated in learning how to prevent chronic diseases and the signs to look out for them, associate professor Klaus von Pressentin, head of the division of family medicine and a professor in the faculty of health sciences at the University of Cape Town.
“As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, there is now a significant burden of chronic conditions and lifestyle diseases, like diabetes, hypertension and heart disease that are directly related to lifestyle choices,” stated Von Pressentin.
The younger generation in South Africa has the ability to build up a country where the well-being of the people are prioritised before economic stability. This is according to Professor Thulisile Mandonsela, The Law Trust Chair in Social Justice. “We need to restructure the order of our priorities to be “people, planet, then profit and principles,” stated Mandonsela. Seen is Professor Thulisile Mandonsela, emphasising the importance of engaging with students for further learning, in her speech at the SU-CUGH African Global Health Conference. VIDEO: Chelsea Burnell
He had seen several patients, who have been unable to recognise early symptoms of diabetes and so ended up aggravating the illness even more, said Von Pressentin.
Some early signs of the illness people must be educated to identify include feeling thirsty all the time, fatigued, and excessive bowel movements, he explained.
Stellenbosch University International (SUI) was one of the financial contributors towards the SU-CUGH African Global Health Conference, according to Mr Robert Kotze, senior director of the SUI. “[At the SUI] we aim to provide on campus and overseas opportunities for SU students to become and grow as global citizens through mobility opportunities, intercultural initiatives, amongst others,” stated Kotze. PHOTO:Chelsea Burnell
SU collaboration
It was the first time that CUGH had presented a conference outside of the USA, according to Mr Robert Kotze, senior director of the Stellenbosch University International (SUI) in written correspondence with MatieMedia.
The SUI had been a financial sponsor in assisting potential participants to cover their travel costs or accommodations, stated Kotze.
“[The conference] contributes to our commitment in our Internationalisation Strategy to build programmes and initiatives illustrating SU as an institution that is ‘rooted in Africa, global in reach,” said Kotze.