VN June 2023

Vetnuus | June 2023 28 As a developing country, we could reasonably expect that the challenges faced are vastly different to the developed countries represented at IVOC. In fact – it is not the case. Mental well-being, workplace challenges, remuneration, and shortage of veterinarians are common amongst our Associations. One of the benefits that SAVA derives from IVOC is access to existing programmes that, with minor adjustments, could benefit SAVA members. A significant concern noted, especially by the AVMA, is fragmentation in the veterinary profession. Due to the scale of American veterinary services, it is naturally more significantly pronounced. Fragmentation implies a split in approaches and opinions on a variety of factors, including: 1. Based on professional focus or job type (species-specific, general practice, specialist practice, academia, owners, employees, industry, non-clinical 2. Based on special interest or affinity (gender, sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, parenthood status) 3. Based on providing services (CPD, both clinical and non- clinical, medical advice, career networking, mentorship, advocacy) As a South African veterinary community, we would do well to take heed of the risks of fragmentation – losing the ability to influence government and regulatory policies and regulations is probably the most significant. SAVA’s federal structure, where all species-specific interest groups (RuVASA, SAEVA, NVCG, Poultry Group, Pig Vet Society, Wildlife Group), SAVA Committees (Animal Ethics and Welfare, Animal Health, Medicines, One Health Disaster Management) fortunately allows for comprehensive discussions on policies and approaches to issues affecting the profession. However, as has happened in the United States, “splinter groups” will always threaten the cohesive approach in handling matters that affect the entire profession. On a lighter note, having spent almost ten days in Taipei, I would be remiss if I did not share some personal experiences with you. As background: Taiwan is a small country, approximately half of Mpumalanga, with a population of approximately 24 million (roughly double that of Gauteng). It has been in the commercial media sustainably due to mainland China and Taiwan being embroiled in a dispute over Taiwan’s independence. The primary language spoken is Mandarin – generally, the population has a very limited grasp of English. I found the Google Translate app to be the only way to really communicate with citizens (the app is remarkable, and I can recommend its use to anyone travelling to any country where English is not widely spoken). The app can perform real-time text translations using the phone’s camera and allows you to type text or speak to translate. Firstly, the people. I (and we) found the Taiwanese friendly but distant. Interactions between Chinese felt limited. Signs in the elevators in the conference centre were clear – you may not talk to each other. Linked to every World Veterinary Association (WVA) Congress is a meeting of six veterinary associations – the American Veterinary Association (AVMA), Australian Veterinary Association (AVA), British Veterinary Association (BVA), Canadian Veterinary Association (CVMA), New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) and SAVA. This meeting spans over two days, immediately preceding the WVA Congress. This meeting aims to discuss activities undertaken over the past year, issues that the veterinary associations face and potential solutions that may exist. Depending on each country’s operational structure, the President and the Managing Director (or Chief Executive Officer) represent each country in this meeting. A few interesting figures were presented during the meeting: International Officers Veterinary Coalition (IVOC) – Taipei 24 and 25 April 2023 AVA AVMA BVA CVMA NZVA SAVA # Members 5,442 101,942 19,701 6,438 3,664 1,980 % of registered in country 36.3% 73.5% 48.7% 43.5% 72.4% 48.5% # Staff 42 165 42 23 15 10 Annual fees $580 $370 $424 $236 $499 $190 # of universities offering veterinary science 7 33 10 5 1 1 IVOC Group Photo Fees denominated in US Dollars