EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President Dr Hans van Dyk hvandyk@iafrica.com
President Elect Dr Gian Marus marus@icon.co.za
Secretary Dr Jacques du Plessis jjdp@iafrica.com
Membership Secretary Dr Rob Dunn robdunn@mweb.co.za
Treasurer Dr Ashwin Parbhoo nesrip@yahoo.com

WEBSITE - www.saspine.org

Members are encouraged to contribute to and to utilize the website.
We are currently investigating changing our service provider and will update you should this happen

WINDHOEK CONGRESS 2004

Additional costs had to be incurred by the Organizing Committee to ensure the smooth entry into and exit from Namibia of the trade attending the congress. Despite this the congress achieved a profit of R70 000-00. As the major source of income for the financing of the Society this was most gratifying.

BLOEMFONTEIN CONGRESS 2005

The Bloemfontein Congress was held in June. The academic programme was stimulating and the social events most enjoyable.

The AGM was as ever a lively event with plenty of debate and discussion. Dr Gian Marus was elected as the Society’s new President-Elect and consensus protocols for Lumbar and Cervical Disc Replacements were agreed to by the meeting (see below).

Our thanks go to Prof John Shipley (Congress Chairman) and Mrs Hendrika van der Merwe for organizing the congress.

This congress unfortunately clashed with a number of other events including the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons Congress and the Arthroplasty Congress. This unfortunately influenced the attendance figures. It is becoming more and more difficult to avoid these clashes given the many meetings being held worldwide.

FINANCE AND FEES COMMITTEE

At the last Executive Committee meeting it was decided to set up a Finance and Fees Committee who would be tasked with looking into the various aspects of the spinal fee structures.

Dr Van Dyk will be approaching ± four members to serve on this committee.

Should you have any recommendations or complaints regarding finance and fees, please contact Dr Van Dyk at hvandyk@iafrica.com

MEMBERSHIP

The society now has a membership of 165 paid up members.

FUTURE MEETINGS AND CONGRESSES

1. THE SOUTH AFRICAN SPINE SOCIETY CONGRESS 2006

Dates 31 May – 3 June 2006
Venue The Lord Charles Hotel, Somerset West
Congress Chairman Dr Robb Dunn - email: robdunn@mweb.co.za
Congress Coordinator Mrs Hendrika van der Merwe
Tel 021 919 4227
Cell 083 270 6344
Email spinecon@iafrica.com

2. THE SOUTH AFRICAN SPINE SOCIETY CONGRESS 2007

Dates June 2007
Venue Champagne Sports Resort, Drakensberg
Congress Chairman Dr Ashwin Parbhoo
Congress Coordinator Mrs Hendrika van der Merwe
Tel 021 919 4227
Cell 083 270 6344
Email spinecon@iafrica.com

3. SOCIETY OF NEUROSURGEONS OF SOUTH AFRICA

Dates 3 – 6 September 2006
Venue Vineyard Hotel, Cape Town
Organizer UCT Congress Management Centre
Tel 021 406 6348

4. THE SOUTH AFRICAN ORTHOPAEDIC ASSOCIATION CONGRESS 2006

Dates 6 – 10 September 2006
Venue Durban

5. EUROSPINE 2006

Dates 20 – 23 September 2006
Venue Istanbul Convention and Exhibition Center (ICEC), Turkey
Congress Chairman Prof Dr Haluk Berk
Contact Details www.eurospine2006.org

AOSPINE EUROPEAN REGION

An AOSpine Complications Management Course will be held in Strasbourg, France from 16-19 November 2005. AOSpine will offer a substantially reduced participation fee for young (i.e. <40) South African Spine Surgeons who are interested in attending this event.
Please contact Dr Bronek Boszczyk from Bern, Switzerland:
Email boszczyk@gmx.net
Tel +41 31 632 22 24
Fax +41 31 632 36 00

MEDICAL PROTECTION SOCIETY

Dr Guillame du Toit and I met with the visiting administrators from MPS during their fact-finding visit to Cape Town.

They reported that there had not been a dramatic increase in the claims against spine surgeons. There had however been a marked increase in the amount of compensation awarded to the claimants and that they expected this trend to continue.

We found it disturbing that in their discussions with the legal fraternity they had perceived there to be a feeling that compensation payments were small and that in the future a correction could take place with far larger payments where negligence is shown.

CERTIFICATE OF NEED

The signing into law of The National Health Act on the 18th July 2004 was the culmination of seven years of discussion and redrafting. The National Health Act provides for uniformity in respect of health service delivery across the country.
One of the outcomes of this act is the introduction of the concept of a Certificate of Need whereby all service providers are required to apply for a CON to practice / continue practicing within a specific region. The purpose of the CON is to promote an equitable distribution of health care services and resources across the country.

SAMA has been actively involved in discussions with the National Department of Health regarding both the CON and the process of implementation. Legal opinion was sought to guide them in their deliberations and with particular reference to the constitutionality of the Certificate of Need.

The following is a very abridged summary drawn from the extensive work and research done by the legal department of the SAMA -
· The NHA is now law and can only be changed by an act of parliament.
· The concept of requiring a CON is not unique to South Africa.
· The regulation of health care is a political process influenced by both historical and current inequalities in health care delivery.
· The NHA has confirmed the concept of a CON but the process whereby the CON will be implemented is currently still being worked on.
· Medical practitioners need to stay abreast of this process to ensure both economic and professional survival as well as a transparent process of implementation.
· Medical practitioners need to understand that the intention of the CON is to promote equitable distribution of health care services and resources to all South Africans.

I have, on behalf of the The South African Spine Society, contacted Dr P. Mhlathi and expressed our willingness as a Society to make a positive contribution to this process. At this stage they feel it is premature to enter into discussion on the matter with us.

LUMBAR DISC REPLACEMENT

In the last Orthopaedic Bulletin (Newsletter of the SA Orthopedic Association – SAOA) Dr Lou van Wyk, the current president of the SAOA, wrote an article on this topic. This article was highly critical of Lumbar Disc Replacement.

There was no consultation with the SASS with regards to the contents of this article prior to its publication.

Our president, Dr Hans van Dyk, has since on a number of occasions discussed this article with Dr Lou van Wyk. Dr Van Wyk has given an undertaking that a rebuttal article will be published in the next edition of the Orthopedic Bulletin.

Dr Hans van Dyk (President of the SASS) will write this article.

PROTOCOLS

Included with the newsletter please find the updated consensus protocols agreed to by the SASS regarding Cervical Disc Replacement and Lumbar Disc Replacement at the AGM held in Bloemfontein.

INTRA-OPERATIVE SPINAL CORD MONITORING SURVEY

Together with the copies of the protocols for Lumbar and Cervical Disc Prosthesis please find a copy of the above-mentioned questionnaire being co-ordinate by Dr Guillaume du Toit for The South African Spine Society. It is the obligation of the membership of this Society to participate in Society Surveys since this is the only way that we may obtain meaningful statistics – which will also be to your benefit.

You will in due course receive a copy of the results of this survey.

Greetings

NORMAN FISHER-JEFFES
(Newsletter coordinator)