Programme

The RHC2024 will have a Face-to-Face programme at Olifants River Lodge

See the end of the page for a standard outline programme. We aim to get at least 16 CPD points for the conference, but the points are only determined once all the abstracts are confirmed.

RHC2024 Theme: United Health Care For All - Collaborating for better health

Dates: Thursday 1st to Saturday 3rd August 2024

It is time to showcase the amazing rural services we have developed. We want you to tell your story about what you are doing that is working . The 2024 Rural Health Conference invites healthcare professionals and researchers to submit abstracts that align with the overarching theme, "United Health Care for All - Collaborating for Better Health." We are seeking innovative contributions that explore 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.

If you have done research - Great! If you haven't done research we still want to hear what you are doing. At this conference we will have a chance to share our accomplishments and be inspired by others.

The 4 Streams of the conference

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. For information on previous conferences click here

1. Building Rural Inter-professional 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.

2. Health Systems Management: 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.

3. 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.

4. Policy & Practice: we need to reach for the stars and say what is ideal, propose policy, interrogate policy and translate policy into effective practice. This can be done by identifying: Best Practice models of service delivery, the gaps between policy & practice, and educating NHI private practitioners in equity, DoH systems and DoH standard treatment guidelines.

RHC2024 Opening Conference Speakers

Speakers will be added soon.

RHC2024 Keynote Speakers

Speakers will be added soon.

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 Asse"’: Collaboration between Department of Education and Department of Health

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: title still to be sent

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.

The conference programme also includes a number of other regular features and activities, including:

A daily Key Note Speaker, each selected by one of the partners to represent their views on rural health and to inspire the delegates

Rural Seeds Workshop: bringing together students, young professionals, and rural veterans to discuss common issues in rural health care, share opinions on health policy, and learn how to cope while working rural

Profession-specific Indaba and organisation AGMs

Best practice workshops on rural related skills

Mental health conference track

An exhibition of up to date equipment and consumables from Health Companies and exhibition stands for RuDASA, RuReSA, PACASA, RuNurSA; as well as NGOs working in rural areas.

A Gala Dinner at which Awards are presented for: Rural Doctor of the Year, Rural Rehabilitation Worker of the Year, Rural Clinical Associate of the Year, and Rural Nurse of the Year.

Future Plans with discussions on how to move forward with the information gained from the conferenceÂ

Presentation of prizes for Best Oral Presenter, Best Workshop Presenter, Best Posters, Best Student Presentation. As well as for each professional category of presenter

We do post a draft programmes closer to the conference but to guide you when booking flights and accommodation: