President’s message

Dear Registrees

Hello. How are you? This is me checking in.

Besides the tired phrase “compliments of the new year”, said at the beginning of every year when we meet, we forget to check in on each other regularly. So let me start by asking my fellow registrees: how are you?

The response, I know, might not always be that all is well, but here’s hoping you are in good spirits. If you are not feeling great, know that we care about you and you are not alone. We are going to expand the Council’s portfolio on health and mental well-being to improve how we look after our registrees – more details to be unveiled in the next newsletter.

We at the SAVC spent the past quarter developing a strategic road map to guide the Council during our three-year tenure. Since we were looking for a plan that has you at the centre of it, the session was facilitated by a veterinarian, Dr David Gerber, in order to retain the essence of whom we represent.

Read on for a summary of what was achieved. The essence of our vision remains the same but it has expanded to embrace and highlight para-veterinary professionals, as part of our inclusive culture.

Vision

To be the custodian of quality veterinary and para-veterinary standards.

Mission

Through the Act, our mission is to protect the interests of those dependent on animals by:

• Safeguarding the health and welfare of all animals and the environment

• Assuring veterinary public health

• Regulating the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the veterinary and para-veterinary professions

Values

• Accountability

• Integrity

• Dedication

• Caring

We spent a considerable time honing the values we wish to embody, and finally settled on the four alongside. We wish to be known as “the Caring Council”, while not neglecting our mandate to regulate all of the professions.

In that spirit, I wish to hear your views on how we can live up to these standards. During a recent Exco stakeholders’ engagement with the various professional associations, it was mentioned that the SAVC doesn’t provide registrees with adequate communication on its consultations.

We are looking for ideas to improve in this area, so please feel free to make suggestions on how we can best communicate the input we receive on matters we send out for public comment, be it reviews of legislation or amended regulations. Send your suggestions to systems@savc.org.za and also let us know how you envisage us living our values.

We realise the need to strengthen our relationship with all stakeholders, and to work with the government, veterinary and para-veterinary associations, veterinary education establishments, private facilities and industry around the following issues:

• Redefining critical and scarce skills for the profession and para-professions

• Ensuring compulsory community service (CCS) facilities are enabling and promoting the required training

• Working with provincial governments on veterinary laboratory accreditation as well as CCS facility inspection

We understand that our registrees are our main clients and customers, so we commit to service excellence and customer care, and to simplifying, streamlining and digitalising our processes.

Besides the above, the Council is working at full throttle: our round of committee meetings has commenced and we are increasingly visible at congresses.

That is all I have for you this quarter: the commitment to do better and be better, and to listen more.

Till the next time we engage.

Yours truly,

Dr Nandipha Toyota Ndudane President: SAVC