Abstract Submission 2025 now open.
Closing date 31st May.
"Rural Health in Real Life"
In drawing up your abstract, please align it as far as possible with the overall conference theme. As we aim to foster a holistic approach to rural health, we encourage abstracts that highlight successful models, challenges faced, and lessons learned in forging partnerships that ultimately contribute to the enhancement of healthcare access and outcomes for rural communities.
At this conference we will have a chance to share our accomplishments and be inspired by others.
If you have done research - Great! If you haven't done research we still want to hear what you are doing. It could be a "Fireside chat".
Abstracts should be short - not more than 300 words
If you think your presentation fulfils the criteria for ethics points, please give reasons. Person presenting at the conference should be the first name if there are several authors, and the contact details and biosketch should be for the person presenting the paper. Please only name the people that will be at the conference. Everyone apart from the 1st presenter should register as a delegate.
All abstracts go through a peer review system. A draft programme is developed after all abstracts are reviewed. The authors will be contacted to confirm their abstract has been accepted and for them to confirm they will attend once the draft programme has been developed. If there are still spaces in programme after the Closing Date there will be a Final Call for Abstracts.
If you need to be confirmed early because you are trying to get funding to attend please contact us.
Not sure if your topic fits our theme? Read about our streams below, and the details on the Information for Presenters page or contact us at abstracts@ruralhealthconference.org.za
Never presented before? Ask our team for help. Not sure if you will have funding? Please submit your abstract, there is place in the submission form to indicate you need funding confirmed. You only have to confirm attendance & payment once the abstract has been accepted.
The 4 streams
Every year, the Rural Health Conference is organised around four streams, covering the key facets of achieving the right to health for rural populations. The annual conference theme adds the particular focus for the presentations, discussions and keynote speakers which fall under each stream:
Rural Teams: Understanding our unique roles & shared responsibilities within the healthcare team is essential for delivering a comprehensive primary/district health care service and achieving universal health coverage. Rural healthcare workers often have the benefit of small teams and therefore unique opportunities for multidisciplinary learning and service delivery. Trans-disciplinary teamwork needs to begin at undergraduate level and continue through community service and afterward. Strong mentoring, supervision and leadership is needed for this to take place.
Health Systems Management & Policy: Wonderful health policies mean nothing unless they are translated into clear service packages in every province, with the resources to support their implementation.. Health systems management focuses on the budgeting and resources required for strengthening service delivery as well as governance structures, quality improvement measures and inter-sectoral partnerships. Strong management is vital for effective & efficient health care which narrows the service delivery gaps between urban & rural areas.
Community engagement & the voice of end users: community engagement relates to working with the community around the health facility as well as the Department of Health working with user groups, health advocates, alternative health workers, and the professional associations to identify the health issues, health needs, and professional solutions that can be offered to ensure Universal Health Care for all our citizens.
Clinical Practice: we need to translate policy into effective practice. This can be done by identifying: best practice models of service delivery, the gaps between policy & practice, and educating private practitioners in equity, DoH systems and DoH standard treatment guidelines with a view to the NHI.
We welcome abstracts of all types and from all members of the multidisciplinary team, students and NGOs. This is a rural conference so the presentation should be applicable to rural situations. Presenters are automatically registered for the conference at the "presenters" rate while waiting for the outcome of their abstract submission.
Types of Presentations
Fireside chats are presentations based on "your story" they are relatively informal and may be part of the formal programme or story telling during the social events.