Previous Conferences
RHC2024 Theme: United Health Care For All - Collaborating for better health explores the dynamics of collaboration in various dimensions, including public-private partnerships, interdisciplinary collaborations, cooperation between government departments, and initiatives focused on supporting patients and caregivers. 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.
RHC2023 Emerald Vale Brewery: Celebrate Rural In life, we face numerous challenges and are presented with choices along the way. Rural health services have encountered and conquered various hurdles, emerging stronger and more effective as a result of perseverance and teamwork. Our success is a product of our collective efforts to support one another through similar trials. Drawing from the insights of our friends, family, and colleagues, we enhance our ability to fulfill our responsibilities to the best of our capabilities.
RHC2022 Die Opstal WC: Learning, Adapting, and Thriving The Covid-19 Pandemic posed immense challenges on our health services and us as people. This forced us to learn, adapt and thrive“ and we believe that in rural areas we are one step ahead of the rest. This is achieved by innovative and passionate health professionals working with our communities. We are used to dealing with crisis, allocating limited resources, strengthening systems, thinking outside the box, distant learning, and being connected to families and showing compassion until the end of life
RHC2021 Shangri-La Hotel LP: Rural Health Equity People in rural areas should get the same services as people based in urban areas: the same quality, the same resources, and the same ease of access to services. To achieve this we have to be innovative in securing health professionals passionate about working rural, demand redistribution of resources, recognise that rural is different and determine how we can support service delivery and the health workers in rural areas.
RHC2021 Proceedings
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RHC2021 Recordings
RHC2020 was cancelled because of the COVID-19 Pandemic
RHC2019 Port Shepstone KZN: Izwi lomphakathi wasemakhaya - The Rural Voice. See below for the conference summary
RHC2019 RHC2018 Henley-on-Klip GP: Building the Legacy of Rural Health: Leadership, Advocacy & Clinical Care
RHC2018 Conference Proceedings
RHC2017 Taung NW: Exploring Innovative Solutions for Rural Health!
RHC2017 Programme
Previous Conferences
For RuDASA Rural Doctor Conferences up to 2016
Rural Doctors Conference
RHC2024 Keynote Speakers
RuDASA Keynote: Universal health coverage: a stumbling block or a stepping stone
Prof Langalibalele Honey Mabuza [MBChB, BTh, MFam Med, FCFP(SA)] is an Associate Professor at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) in Pretoria, South Africa. He is the Immediate Past President of the College of the Family Physicians of South Africa (CFPSA). He is a Family Physician by specialisation (2001) and has served in the Department of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care as Acting Head of Department (2017-2022). He has recently (August 2022) been appointed as Clinical Educator Manager of the Clinical Integrated Programs in the Office of the Dean of the School of Medicine at SMU. From 2017 to 2023 he was the Convenor of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) commissioned by the South African Government to assess foreign qualified medical practitioners for admission to practice in the South African health system. He has been involved in the training of Family Physicians (2001 to 2022) and has supervised 25 Masters’ degree students who successfully completed their degrees in Family Medicine. He has been involved in the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA) examinations as member of the Examinations Steering Committees of the Fellowship of Family Physicians (FCFP(SA)) and the diplomas under the College of Family Physicians – Higher Diploma in Family Medicine (H Dip Fam Med(SA)), Diploma in HIV Management (Dip HIV Man(SA)) and the Diploma in Allergology (Dip Allerg(SA)). He is married to Zanele Precious Mabuza and a father of Lungi, Khosi and Thando.
RuReSA Keynote: "Every child is a National Asset": Collaboration between Department of Education and Department of Health
Octavia Dumisile Tembe: I am a Speech-language Therapist with a special interest in Early Childhood Intervention (ECI). After completing my Bachelor of Communication Pathology in Speech and Language Pathology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (2013), I entered in Speech and Language world to explore my passion for working with people with communication, feeding, swallowing, and learning difficulties. I did my community service at Mseleni Hospital located at uMkhanyakude District, KZN-DoH (2014). I then worked as a resident Clinical Speech and Language Therapist at Itshelejuba hospital located in Zululand District, KZN-DoH (2015-2019). During my years of service at the district hospitals I participated in acute care, primary health care, community outreach, and continued professional development programmes. I then moved to Witbank tertiary hospital located in Nkangala District, Mpumalanga DoH (2019-2022) where I gained extensive experience in both peadiatric and adult speech, language and swallowing interventions. Through my engagement with children with developmental neurological conditions, my passion for early childhood intervention was ignited and routed me into obtaining a Masters in early childhood intervention (MSc: ECI) from the University of Pretoria (2021). Currently, I work as a Chief Speech and Language therapist for the department of Education-Nkangala district: LSPID programme, where I'm focusing on educational therapeutic interventions for learners with severe to profound intellectual disabilities. I am also involved in clinical supervision and support of M: SLP students from the University of Ghana.
PACASA keynote: Mid-level workers as part of the MDT: A PPO Serve experience with Clinical Associates.
Lungile Kasapato is an HPCSA registered Biomedical Technologist who is passionate about healthcare reforms that are geared at providing more South Africans access to quality health care. From 1992, when she qualified, she worked in and managed several small, medium, and large laboratories both in the private and public sector. These include the clinical trials laboratory, Bio Analytical Research Corporation of South Africa (RARC SA) and CH Baragwanath Academic Laboratory where she successfully implemented one of the first and biggest total laboratory automation (TLA) projects in the country. Her MBA thesis, from Wits Business School, was on the market structure of private healthcare in South Africa. She also holds a B Tech in Biomedical Technology and a National Diploma in Medical Technology. She joined PPO Serve in 2019 as a Clinical Product Manager for The Birthing Team (TBT). TBT was an innovative PPO Serve programme that offered cash patients a complete end to end global fee based private maternity service. TBT delivered 2,500 babies and reduced the Caesarean Section rate from 70% to 20% in some of its units. From 2021 she served as the Head of Strategy Development, she is now the Deputy CEO of PPO Serve.
Rural Mental Health Keynote: Sharing the burden: strengthening intersectoral collaboration to respond to the needs of those caring for mental health care users in rural South Africa
Dr Olindah Silaule is a senior lecturer at the Division of Occupational Therapy, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Cape Town. She is a fellow of the Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) and her recently conferred PhD focused on developing strategies for alleviating caregiver burden among informal caregivers of persons with severe mental disorders in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga province. Previously she worked as an occupational therapist at the mental health unit at Tintswalo hospital for a period of 5 years. She was instrumental in driving the development and implementation of occupational therapy mental health programmes for both in and outpatients. In this position, she worked with various stakeholders to improve intervention outcomes for mental health care users and training community rehabilitation workers to improve the accessibility of mental health services for clients and families in the Bushbuckridge community. In 2017, she began her academic career as a lecturer at the Department of Occupational Therapy, Wits University. Her role involved teaching and supervision of undergraduate and postgraduate students, specifically in the field of mental health. One of her main responsibilities was coordination of the rural fieldwork for the final year students where she ensured the adoption of a community-based approach as a strategy for enabling students to develop skills necessary for developing and implementing contextually responsive occupational therapy services. Currently, she lectures an undergraduate course in mental health and a postgraduate course in occupational therapy within primary healthcare settings. She is responsible for supervising undergraduate and postgraduate research projects. Her research interests are on improving the quality and efficiency of mental health services for mental healthcare users and their families in low-resource settings.
RuNurSA Keynote: Role of Nurses in Clinical Governance and the Provision of Safe Quality Patient Care.
Letennwe Morundu: I am a qualified clinical nurse specialist with over 30 years of experience in clinical practice, specializing in Neonatal, Pediatric and Adult Intensive Care Nursing, Midwifery, Infection Control and Quality Management. I have over 10 years of experience practicing as nurse educator and over 05 years as a manager in clinical practice. Currently I am employed as Quality Assurance Lead at Nelson Mandela Children's Hospital and Co-chair Clinical Governance Committee.I am passionate about patient safety hence the phrase on Nurses' Pledge: "I will not permit consideration of Religion, Nationality, Race or Social Standing to intervene between me and my patients"