Africa Health Congress: Highlights from day three
Every year, all the proceeds from the 13 conferences held at Africa Health Exhibition and Congress held at Gallagher Conference Centre in Midrand are handed over to beneficiaries who are doing exceptional work in the field of healthcare.
The proceeds from all the clinical conferences were awarded to Surgeons for Little Lives, a non-profit organisation led by Professor Jerome Loveland, the head of paediatric surgery at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
It is run by a small group of paediatric surgeons and some ordinary people, with the focus of uplifting the lives of less fortunate South African children, especially those in need of life-changing surgery.
The donation to Surgeons for Little Lives totalled R 359,150.00.
“We are extremely grateful and proud to have our work recognised like this,” says Professor Jerome Loveland, Academic Head, Department of Paediatric Surgery, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Witwatersrand. “This and other donations like it enable us to continue to do the work we do to improve the lives of South Africa children who would not otherwise access this kind of treatment. We’re hoping to do more in the future, which includes projects such as the construction of a lactation facility and breast milk bank, as long as people are willing to support us.”
The proceeds from the non-clinical conferences were donated to Just Footprints Foundation, a registered non-profit organisation that takes children with serious health and life challenges and disabilities on camps. The purpose of these “Camp Footprints” camps is to provide children with a life-changing adventure, to learn new skills, to develop confidence and enhance their self-esteem in a secure, respectful and nurturing fun camp environment.
Just Footprints Foundation is linked as a global partner programme with the Seriousfun Children’s Network, and camps are carried out at no charge to the children or their families. Funding is obtained through corporate, international and individual sponsorships, and the organisers say that they see a measurable difference in the children’s attitudes and competences as a result of going to Camp Footprints.
The donation to Just Footprints Foundation totalled R 251,450.00.
“We say that we do amazing camps for amazing kids, and we are just amazingly grateful to have been given this donation,” says Leoné Jooste, the chairperson of Just Footprints Foundation. “It’s been great to spread our footprint here and make contact with delegates who are interested in what we do because of the medical benefits of the camp experience for the children.”
The proceeds from the Nursing Conference were awarded to the Academy of Nursing South Africa (ANSA), which has the vision of recognising, utilising and promoting excellence in nursing and midwifery in South Africa, and of enhancing optimal healthcare for all South Africans. The academy promotes evidence-based policy and practice in healthcare, and works collaboratively with other organisations and stakeholders who share this commitment.
The donation to ANSA totalled: R 49,850.00
Further highlights
Visiomed, announced the Africa launch of their new product VisioCheck, which they describe as the first mobile telemedicine platform. The device is a little bigger than a smartphone and contains five medical devices: a blood pressure monitor, an EKG, a pulse oximeter, a thermometer and a glucometer. It also has HD video conferencing capabilities with Wi-Fi and 4G, and a real-time medical record sharing system.
“VisioCheck can be used by healthcare professionals, trained community members or even by patients with chronic diseases that need constant daily monitoring,” says Justin Carel, the international area manager for Visiomed. “The 4G and Wi-Fi connections allow users to connect to an expert centre so that they can carry out home monitoring or the monitoring of isolated populations.”
Thembekile Asset Management Solutions also showcased their products built on the latest radio frequency identification (RFID) and real-time location services (RTLS) technology, which enables hospitals and care facilities to remotely collect data and report in real time using fixed and mobile devices.
The Sanitag real time location solution exclusively distributed by Thembekile visually pinpoints the location of anyone wearing a RFID tag with an easy-to-follow map. This enables faster and more effective medical attention for patients in need.
Their Infant Tracking safety solution pairs infants with their mothers using a mother/infant tag that helps to prevent mix-ups or kidnappings.
Similar products track emergency workers, critical emergency equipment and surgical equipment, assisting healthcare organisations with maintaining the security of their patients and staff, and to control stock losses.
The 7th annual Africa Health Exhibition & Congress 2017 took place from 7-9 June 2017 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. More than 10,000 regional and international healthcare professionals and medical experts attended the event during the course of the three days.