Vetnews | Oktober 2024 2 « BACK TO CONTENTS If the impact is only on an individual, or small group of individuals, it is not entertained. Yet, the burden of action is growing by the day. In the past month, three events that led to hours and hours of engagement were the shortage of veterinarians, the challenges at OBP and the announcement of a new veterinary faculty at the University of the Free State. A short article in a not-so-well-known media outlet led to a plethora of calls for radio and even a television interview. Between the Managing Director and me, we handled more than fifteen calls for media engagements in one week. SAVA is often challenged on what we do and if we do enough for the profession. From SAVA’s point of view, there is a lot more we can do and would love to do, but constraints disable us from doing so. The most significant constraint SAVA is facing is financial resources. SAVA is a member organisation and more than 80% of its income is generated from members’ fees. Looking at members resigning from SAVA, the two main reasons are emigration and members who cannot afford the fees anymore. SAVA in itself can do nothing to stop veterinarians from emigrating. To make ends meet the simplest option is to increase the fees of members. Increasing the fees might alleviate the financial shortfall, but will lead to an increase in those who cannot afford the fees. Where does the critical intersection lie between members paying a higher membership fee and those resigning due to increased fees? In my tenure as President, I made it my primary task to recruit new members and did a lot of travelling and interactions to recruit new members, not without an additional financial burden on SAVA. Although SAVA is at a point, even in these trying times, where we have positive membership growth, the income so generated is still not on par with the expenses incurred. Retaining the recruited SAVA members will have a positive effect in the long run. As it stands, SAVA is however no longer financially viable. Something drastic will have to be done. Either SAVA must cut expenses to the bone, which will have a major impact on SAVA engagements with detrimental effects on the veterinary profession, or it must increase its membership fees, recruit more members and look for other sources of income. Although SAVA is doing a lot of excellent work, we can no longer sit and hope for the best. SAVA is at a crossroads and it is now every member’s opportunity/ duty to make the most important decision you will ever make for SAVA and the profession. Forget the past. Who is SAVA now and what should the future SAVA be? It is time to rethink and reengineer SAVA to serve its members and further the status and image of the veterinarian. We must take this decision consciously with due care. We must make it powerfully. Any pearls of wisdom on how SAVA could be turned around, or support in the survival efforts are most welcome. v Kind regards, Paul van der Merwe From the President Dear members, SAVA at Crossroads With the challenging veterinary landscape, SAVA is inundated with calls for support and action. All calls are evaluated concerning their impact on the profession.
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