Special Hearings — Health Sector Hearings — 1997-06-18

CHAIRPERSON: I'm sorry, may I ask you to summarise the rest of the document because...(intervention)

UNKNOWN: Thank you Mr Chairman.  Perhaps I can just summarise by saying, how many minutes have I got left, two minutes?  Well perhaps I must end by giving you a summary of our possible recommendations. What we think should be done.
 Medical schools could help to prepare health workers to deal with human rights issues in the daily practice, specifically through added values in the medical curriculum such as lectures on human rights, ethics, value systems and responsibilities towards patients and the community.  This  would result in a change in the manner in which procedures are interpreted.
 Secondly, changes should be made to the medical curriculum and I refer to added values which have been incorporated into our new medical curriculum Mr Chairman.  The new medical curriculum of our Faculty which is  integrating the basic and clinical subjects which are problem orientated, community based was recently implemented and will hopefully benefit all the students in our faculty.  This is in line with the new National Health Policy as approved by the new government, specifically  on primary health care, as well as on secondary and tertiary care.
 Thirdly, the idea that all patients have the same value and should be considered as equals, should be upheld at all times.
 Fourthly, institutional mechanisms should be put in place to ensure that the type of human rights abuses that occurred during the apartheid years will never happen again by the following, mainly the declaration of human rights should be applied consistently throughout and monitored by a Faculty committee consistently throughout and monitored by a Faculty Committee comprising staff, students, community members, to oversee adherence to that declaration.  And the University of Pretoria has already instituted a Centre of Human Rights which will help to attain our objectives.
 And perhaps, I would like to mention the question of redress as Dr Ramashala mentioned, and that is that our University as a whole is actively involved with a redressing programme, trying to help the people on primary and secondary school level and prepare them for tertiary education in the years to come.  
 Thank you Mr Chairman.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: Thank you Sir for your presentation.  In the interests of time I think what we will do, I have here a series of questions which were prepared on the basis of the submission that you have sent before today's proceedings, so I think that we will send those questions to you because we are running a little bit late.
 What I do want to say that is, just as part of recommendations is something that relates to racial naming.  I think the racial names in this country have become emotionally charged. There was a time when Black was an (...indistinct) category but it's since become emotionally charged and there have been voices that objected to the use of Black to identify who they are.  But I do think that the idea of Non-White negates the experience of the other as something which is not White and I'm wondering if perhaps you want to comment on this just in terms of whether there is a different way in which the category, the group that you have been referring to and the University in it's policy development is referring to as non-White might perhaps be changed.  Would you like to comment on that?

UNKNOWN: I see no problem concerning that.  We can do that and I accept your advice.  Thank you.

MAPULE RAMASHALA: It's really just an opinion yes, but thank you very much. I found your submission very informative and especially in terms of the redress that you suggested.  Thank you very much.

CHAIRPERSON: Thank you Professor du Plessis.
MEDICAL SCHOOL SUBMISSIONS - UND

CHAIRPERSON: Professor Maharaj.
 Professor as you're standing perhaps I can ask you to just introduce yourself, where you're from and then I'm going to wear you in after that.

UNKNOWN: I'm Breminand(?) Maharaj, I'm a graduate of the University of Natal Medical School and currently an associate Professor and principal specialist in the Department of Experimental and Chemical Pharmacology.

UNKNOWN: (sworn states)

WENDY ORR: Professor Maharaj, welcome, thank you for coming here today.  I don't know if it's an advantage or a disadvantage to be third in the line of presentations from academic institutions.  Perhaps it will help you summarise your submission because I think the number of issues which are raised in your submission have already been discussed.  Can I ask you to take us through your submission summarising those issues which were particular or specific to the University of Natal. I think we've heard a number of issues like the tension between Province and the hospital and the differentiation in salaries which don't need to be repeated.  But if you could highlight those issues specific to your institution, thank you.