CONTENTS
From the Editor’s desk Getting to know
Introducing Hillbrew...........................................................4
It’s hard hardtotobelieve, believe, 2014 Witsturn RHI20!turn butbut 2014 sees sees Wits RHI The20! Wits The Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute was Reproductive Health and HIV Institute was established in established 1994 as theHealth Reproductive Research 1994 as the in Reproductive ResearchHealth Unit (RHRU) and Unit (RHRU) Wits RHI2010. on 1 We’re October 2010. a became Witsand RHIbecame on 1 October sporting We’re a special logo for our specialsporting logo for our 20th anniversary and20th haveanniversary a number of and haveand a number of activities andthe events linedYou’ll up to activities events lined up to mark occasion. be mark themore occasion. You’ll be hearing more about that hearing about that soon. soon. To view the video of Professor Rees talking about RHI click here. From20, modest beginnings 20 years ago our portfolio now extends beyond sexual and reproductive health to From modest yearsservice ago provision our portfolio encompass HIVbeginnings research and20 health and a now extends beyond sexual and reproductive health to wide range of infectious diseases including sexually encompass researchtuberculosis and health and service provision transmitted HIV infections, opportunistic and a wideWe range of infectious including sexually infections. conduct researchdiseases and provide programmatic transmitted infections, and health opportunistic support, training, policytuberculosis development, systems infections. andnational provide strengtheningWeand conduct technical research assistance at and programmatic support, training, policy development, international level. health systems strengthening and technical assistance at national and In the past fewinternational months our level. role in policy development and technical support to the South African Government has In the apparent past few in months our role policy development been the roll-out of in two critically important and technical support to the South African Government public health campaigns, both focused on the reproductive has been apparent in the health and rights of women androll-out girls. of two critically important public health campaigns, both focused on the reproductive health and rights of Department women and of girls. We have supported the National Health in developing the revised Contraceptive and Fertility Planning We have the National Department of strongly Health Policy andsupported Service Delivery Guidelines, which focus in revised Contraceptive and Fertility on developing long-actingthecontraceptive methods such as the Planning Policy and Service Delivery Guidelines, sub-dermal implant. Long-acting contraception playswhich a vital focus strongly on long-acting contraceptive methods such role in preventing unintended pregnancies, particularly as the sub-dermal implant. Long-acting contraception among young women, though we continue to advocate plays a vital role in preventing unintended pregnancies, that it be used together with condoms to ensure dual particularly young women, we continue protection among from pregnancy and though STIs, including HIV. to advocate it be used together with condoms Professor Rees,that Dr Howard Manyonga and Melanie Pleaner, to dual protection from pregnancy and STIs, all ensure key advisers to Government on the drafting and including HIV. Professor Rees, Drpresent Howard Manyonga implementation of the policy, were at the launch in and Melanie keymore advisers Government Tembisa on 27Pleaner, February.all Read abouttoit on page 6. on the and drafting and implementation of the policy,and were status, regardless of their traditional present at the launch in Tembisa on 27 February. Read We were part of the roll-out of the schools HPV vaccine religious beliefs. more aboutThis it onground-breaking page 6. Click here to see photos from campaign. intervention, which will the launch and athe video of Professor on SABC News. protect against main cause ofRees cervical cancer, was Tell us about your first job? launched at Gonyane Primary School in Mangaung, Bloemfontein on 12 March.
Dr Memory Muturiki, Technical Head: Adolescent Programme
New Clinic brings health to ZF Mgcawu......................5
Professor Rees helps Minister Who is Memory? launch Family Planning Campaign................................6 IWits hailRHIfrom the village of employees tour Constitution Hill..................7 Siloame in Nzhelele, Limpopo. I Esselento Street Clinic declared came Johannesburg to a heritage site.............8 study medicine at Wits and Rotary Club to Shandukani’s newborn stayed on. donates I am passionate babies.......................................................................................9 about the field of HIV/AIDS, particularly themen’s prevention Zooming in on health..........................................10 part; I have always believed FACTS that theAnnual earlierMeeting....................................................11 young people are exposed to the right Getting to know… Dr Memory Muturiki............12 -13 education around SRH and HIV, the better the outcomes forPolicy...................................14 the Know your Annual Leave health system in reducing the Awardsof and burden theAppointments............................................15 disease. Coming from a rural background New Appointees................................................................16 myself, I know that SRH topics and even HIV are not always common household topics. What motivated you to study medicine? When I was younger I noticed that pregnant women living in remote villages had no access to antenatal services and were not able to get to the hospital early enough for help, especially in emergencies. These women would estimate their due dates, very often inaccurately, and then camp in the hospital grounds awaiting delivery. This often resulted in stays of up to three months in barely adequate accommodation, as they could not be admitted into the hospital. This was a very sad state of affairs and I was touched by their plight. Happily, access to health care has improved greatly and this system no longer exists, but that was a significant motivator in my decision to study medicine; I wanted to help somehow. I believe in human dignity and that all people deserve quality health no matter what their socio-economic Witscare RHI Choir
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Like all doctors I started as an intern. I did my internship at Tambo Memorial Hospital in the East Rand. I enjoyed my internship and there isn’t much to say about that except that we were, luckily for us, the last group to be interns for only a year as internship became a two-year programme the following year! Editor-in-Chief: Crabtree, ecrabtree@whri.ac.za Editor: Fhatuwani Tshikororo, ftshikororo@wrhi.ac.za Graphic Designer: Sipho Ndlovu, sindlovu@wrhi.ac.za Special thanks to Noluthando Ncube for her contribution
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maternity cases for transportation to health facilities. How long part have you been with Wits RHI HPV and vaccine what We were the roll-out of the schools Professor Reesof and Dr Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, both campaign. Thisfield ground-breaking which will This is of particular significance for me, as it links to responsibilities does job involve? experts in the ofyour vaccines andintervention, HPV, made significant protect against the main cause of cervical cancer, was my initial motivation to study medicine and my contributions to the current policy; and Professor Rees launched Primary in Mangaung, experiences with the issues facing pregnant rural I am theatnew kid on the block!School My responsibilities wasstill present atGonyane the launch. Bloemfontein on 12 March. Professor Reesputting and Dr women. within the Adolescent Programme include Sinead Delany-Moretlwe, both experts in the field She said, “It has taken aideas lot of hard reach this point; together innovative thatwork willtoimprove theof vaccines and HPV, made significant contributions to the and the of the to vulnerable quality of introduction treatment and careHPV for vaccine adolescents living What are the best and most challenging aspects of current policy; and Professor Rees was present at the young is a huge step towards a significant reduction with HIVgirls (ALHIV) and creating a replicable model that working with adolescents? launch. in link the into ratesthe of three cervical cancerofinPHC South Africa. Cervical will streams re-engineering. screening remains an important intervention for women If you have ever shared a house with an adolescent InShe addition I’m responsible piloting the model in “It has takenactive, a for lotbut of the hard work to reach who said, are already sexually next generation of two regions, collecting data and conducting this point; andwillthe introduction the HPV vaccine you know the challenging aspects so I will spare you young women benefit from this of protective vaccine.” evidence-based research to support thestep model. to vulnerable young girls is a huge towards a the details. The best aspect of working with significant the rates cervical and cancer in adolescents is that they have dynamic needs, ideas In an effortreduction to ensurein that familyofplanning other South Africa. Cervical screening remains important What would you like to achieve youran time reproductive health services areduring accessible to all with South and interests; you have to continuously identify intervention for women who are already sexually active, Wits RHI? the provision of adolescent- and youth-friendly relevant, engaging and pertinent innovations for Africans, but the isnext generation of are young women will benefit services a key strategy. We pleased to announce the them. from this protective vaccine.” You can listen to Professor opening of to theachieve adolescent-friendly clinic at theabove, Hillbrow I would like the things mentioned Rees on Talk 702 live from the launch here. Community Health Centre (Ward 21), providing and have the models adopted for roll-out and What’s one thing your co-workers would be comprehensive HIVdistricts. and SRH services replication in all I wouldto adolescents, like to seeboth a surprised to know about you? In an effort to ensure that family planning and other HIV-positive and negative, between the ages of 10 and 19. significant proportion of ALHIV receiving better reproductive health services are accessible to all South We chat to Dr Memory Mutukiri, Technical Head, quality of the care, treatment and support through this I am a biker! Gauteng is not the best spot for that Africans, provision ofon adolescentAdolescent Programme, page 12-13.and youth-friendly though. project and them to have better quality life as services is aforkey strategy. Weaare pleased to of announce a the result of the project than they would have hadthe opening of another the adolescent-friendly at We have added province to our clinic geographical How do you spend your downtime? otherwise. Hillbrow Centre (Ward 21),with providing reach: theCommunity Sex WorkerHealth Project, in conjunction North comprehensive HIV and SRH to adolescents, Star Alliance, opened a clinic for services sex workers and truckers both HIV-positive andCape, negative, between the health ages of I love water (pool, beach…). You have vastNorthern experience in clinical and public in Upington, in March. Professor Francois 10 and 19. We chat to Dr Memory Mutukiri, Technical inVenter Africa and and Maria Europe. What have you learnt from your Sibanyoni, Programme Manager, SWP, Head, page 12-13. Which music gets you dancing? were atAdolescent the launch.Programme, You can readon about it on page 5. experiences?
Wecelebrate have added another province to ourRHI geographical Anything We welcome feedback so do thatthat. wewill canfind continually These are justyour a few of should the stories you in for these Human Rights Day in March, Rihanna sings Dancing I To had very enriching experiences with thecolleagues public reach: the Sex Worker Project, in conjunction with improve the newsletter for you; and we invite you to send pages, showcasing the life and times of RHI and keeping once again visited Constitution Hill to tour the Old Gaol me means ‘shoulders upwards’ lol! health sectors locally as well as in other African North Star Alliance, opened a clinic for sex workers and us your news and snippets for the next issue. Send your you ‘wired’. We hope you enjoy reading this and find the and the Constitutional Court. You can what they had countries (specifically Botswana andread Nigeria) where truckers in Upington, Northern Cape, in March. Professor contributions to Fhatuwani Tshikororo interactive version useful. We welcome your feedback so to say about that on page 7. Five minutes’ walk away from there are fewer health resources than weProgramme have in Francois Venter and Maria Sibanyoni, (ftshikororo@wrhi.ac.za post onthe thenewsletter Communications that we can continuallyorimprove for you; Constitution Hill, Esselen Clinic is also part of South AfricaSWP but where there is, in some ways, more Manager, , were at the launch. You can read about page) by 15 June. and we invite you to send us your news and snippets Johannesburg’s heritage, and was awarded a heritage efficient Theis on European itplaque on page 5. for the next issue. Send your contributions to Fhatuwani inmanagement. February. The story page 8. set-up is, however, completely different. That said, the actual Tshikororo (ftshikororo@wrhi.ac.za or post on the To celebrate Human Rights Day in March, RHI colleagues needs and health requirements offind patients, Communications page) by 15 June. These are just a fewcare of the stories you will in these once again visited Constitution Hill to tour the Old Gaol particularly adolescents, are very similar across the pages, showcasing the life and times of RHI and keeping and the Constitutional You canthis. read what they board. you ‘wired’. We hope youCourt. enjoy reading had to say about that on page 7. Five minutes’ walk away from Constitution Hill, Esselen Clinic is also part of Which of your accomplishments are you most proud Johannesburg’s heritage, and was awarded a heritage of? plaque in February. The story is on page 8.
There are a few that I can think of, but the one that I would like to mention is that I initiated the first Wits RHI Choir obstetrics ambulance system in Mpumalanga, launched by the then MEC for Health in 2011. The Mpumalanga health system is now able to prioritise
Wits RHI Choir
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