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Council holds strategic planning session for 2022-2025 term

On 7 and 8 February 2023, the Council conducted a very successful strategic planning session for its current three-year term.

We updated the SAVC’s vision in line with our transformation objective to include the para-veterinary professions in the title of the South African Veterinary Professions Act, Act 19 of 1982.

Our vision now reads as follows:

The SAVC is the custodian of quality veterinary and para-veterinary standards in South Africa.

Our updated 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; and regulating the educational, ethical and clinical standards of the veterinary and para-veterinary professions.

Our values are:

• Accountability

• Integrity

• Dedication

• Caring

Our four goals are:

• Transformation

• Service excellence and customer care

• Stakeholder engagements

• A digital SAVC

To ensure we achieve our transformation goals, a new ad hoc transformation committee will be established to focus on all issues related to transformation.

During this Council term, a compliance model will be drafted and rolled out as a special project. The issue of non-compliant registrees and facilities, and unregistered persons doing the work of registered veterinary and para-veterinary professionals, will be addressed insofar as the Council’s power stretches – bearing in mind that the successful outcome of a criminal prosecution lies in the hands of external bodies, which in this case are the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority.

We will also continue with monitoring subjects and standards of training at all educational institutions.

A wellness committee will be established to support our registrees and address their mental well-being.

We will continue to build relationships with the many stakeholders we work closely with, at all levels of the veterinary and para-veterinary industries.

We will continue with our annual registree survey, and therefore request that you participate. Your feedback is invaluable in finding gaps and helping us improve service delivery.

Be on the lookout for communication about the recently gazetted rules issued in accordance with legislation, which allow para-veterinary professionals to operate their own facilities (see page 6 in the newsletter for a snapshot of the new rules). The SAVC will conduct a workshop webinar for each para-veterinary profession in mid-April 2023 about the implications and benefits of the new rules.

An ongoing process will be ensuring that the SAVC has a completely integrated digital platform; we will be streamlining processes internally to shorten turnaround times and thereby improve our service delivery to you, our customers.

Consistent with our focus on transparency, we will continue to educate the public to help them understand the role of the Council vis-à-vis the veterinary and para-veterinary professions. We will also continue to send regular communications with important information as and when it becomes available.

Are you an unregistered AHT? Hurry to take advantage of our amnesty!

If you’re an unregistered animal health technician (AHT), or if your SAVC registration has lapsed, you have until 14 July 2023 to take advantage of our amnesty that will allow you to apply to register with us and be legally compliant.

Even if you have been practising as an unregistered AHT to date, you will not face any disciplinary and/or criminal action if you take advantage of this limited offer. Both employed and unemployed AHTs may apply.

You can apply for registration or re-registration with the SAVC if you:

• Are a qualified AHT, or

• Have passed the SAVC examinations

Keen to take advantage of this opportunity to get your registration up to date? Read more here, download the registration form, fill it in and email it to AHTamnesty@ savc.org.za.

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