VN May 2020

Vetnuus | Mei 2020 2 The announcement of the impending COVID-19 lockdown caused quite a scramble with the directive that only government approved essential services could continue during the restricted period. As human lives were clearly the priority, it is understandable that veterinary services were only associated with food production as an essential service in the initial announcement. Dr Mike Modisane, Chief Veterinary Officer of the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development, worked like a Trojan through many marathon meetings, to appropriately inform the minister so that veterinary services were highlighted as essential in the DALRRD contingency regulations. The SAVA board then went into overdrive to set up guidelines as to what were essential veterinary services, what were necessary and what were elective and could be delayed till after the lockdown. I was able to have several insightful communications withDr Modisane to ensure that the SAVA guidelines were in keeping with the government regulations and to clear up a few hiccups when the provincial authoritiesmisinterpreted the lockdown regulations. The government`s approach was to trust the veterinary profession to have the discretion to assess the services under the ethos of “if it can wait, postpone it” – if it is essential or necessary, perform it with the appropriate PPE and social distancing in place. A huge thank you goes out to SAVA MD Gert Steyn for conducting exhaustive research to set up the SAVA guidelines regarding essential veterinary services and how veterinary practices should operate during the lockdown. I am also extremely grateful to all the SAVA Board of Directors as well as Dr Ziyanda Majokweni for their considerable input into the drafting of the SAVA guidelines and assisting to monitor developments related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We also requested input from the SAVA groups to set up operational guidelines specific to the various fields of veterinary practice. Once the guidelines were completed we distributed them to our members via VetFlash, as well as making them available to the SAVC to assist Council with their document for distribution to all registrees in South Africa. We also distributed the templates for permits, the government contingency documents and the COVID-19 financial relief opportunities. A further SAVA initiative was to set up a protocol for electronic signatures on certificates with the assistance of SAVA legal advisor Dr Trudi Prinsloo van den Heever. We then liaised with the DALRRD to assist the state vets with the implementation of this process. Our next step was to set up a SAVA COVID-19 Hotline to assist members with queries related to interpretation of the lockdown regulations and guidelines as well as troubleshoot when they encountered problems from the authorities. Thank you to the SAVA directors and group officials who have so ably manned the various categories on the Hotline. An exciting recent development has been V-Tech`s generous project to assist SAVA with public relations and marketing. Dale Parrish, V-Tech marketing manager, has contracted Mala Media to promote SAVA and gain exposure in many media outlets. As well as improving the public profile of SAVA and the veterinary profession, it has also provided us with many platforms to educate the public regarding veterinary services during the Corona virus pandemic, as well as dispel myths regarding COVID-19 and animals. Thank you to SAVA board member Dr David Gerber, Dale, the rest of theV-Tech directors andMala Media for this opportunity. As we head into COVID-19 level 4 from May the 1st we must reassess how we approach our veterinary services as procedures that were elective five weeks ago may now be necessary if not essential. We may therefore move back to a more comprehensive portfolio of veterinary services while still ensuring that the necessary PPE is worn and social distancing precautions aremaintained. The veterinary profession can be proud of how we have conducted ourselves during the lockdown and it is crucial that we continue to act responsibly to limit the spread of this Corona virus in our country. Veterinariansmustweighuptheoperationalbenefits of returning to a full staff complement with the risk of the entire practice workforce being isolated if one member contracts and tests positive for COVID-19. At this stage if may still be worth dividing into separate teams that work different shifts so that only one group is isolated if an infection does occur. Please contact SAVA if you have any queries or concerns. SAVA has been in contact with the Faculty of Veterinary Science at Onderstepoort to provide support for the academic programme and for the hospital.Whilewewere able toprovide input to keep theOVAHopenduring the lockdown, there has been a dramatic decline in cases seen. There are obviously also major challenges with student learning and practical exposure, as no students are currently allowed at the Faculty, and the Dean of the Faculty, ProfVinnyNaidoo, has just specifically requested that SAVA and its members assist with the facilitation of practical experience for the vet students. These are our future vets, so please assist in preventing them from falling too far behind. The COVID-19 pandemic, while being a global health and economic disaster, has also provided humanity with an opportunity to take stock of how we live, realise what we take for granted, assess what is truly important and reflect on our faith. We are a resilient species, particularly in Africa, and although our way of life is likely to be considerably altered for a significant period by this pandemic, we will prevail and hopefully emerge stronger. I would again like to thank SAVA MD Gert Steyn and the Vethouse team for their dedication in continuing to work so efficiently from home during the lockdown, our board of directors for their excellent support, SAVC president Dr Alfred Kgasi and council management for their collaboration and Dr Mike Modisane for his commitment andguidanceduring this crisis. I`msure all veterinarians would like to thank their spouses and families for takingon additional domestic chores during the lock down, I know I amextremely grateful to Annamie for all her efforts, love and support. May our Lord God continue to bless you and keep you safe as He guards over our beloved country, it`s faithful people and its animals. Yours in solidarity and safety v Kind regards, Leon de Bruyn From the President Greetings Colleagues, Leon de Bruyn I am writing this as we are just entering the extended phase of the COVID-19 lockdown and you will be reading this as the lockdown has been slightly relaxed to level 4. This Corona virus pandemic has been a major and unique challenge to the world and I sincerely believe that we can be extremely proud of how the South African Government including the DALRRD, SAVA, SAVC and the profession have tackled it. Our National President has surrounded himself with excellent advisors and has shown remarkable leadership and statesmanship in the face of this unprecedented crisis.