□ESEMBER 1973 F I S I O T E R A P I E 13 TENTH NATIONAL COUNCIL MEETING OF S.A.S.P. (P retoria, Septem ber 1st, 2nd Septem ber, 1973) Presidential Address Prof. B. B R O M IL O W -D O W N IN G Namens die S uid-A frikaanse Vereniging vir F isio­ terapie m oet ek die edelagbare M inister van G esondheid hartlik bedank v ir sy persoonlike teenw oordigheid op hierdie lOde V ergadering van die N asionale R aad. Ons waardeer opreg d a t hy. hom die tyd vergun h e t om as gas spreker op te tree en hierdie vergadering am ptelik te open. Die teenw oordigheid van soveel verteen- woordigers van die verenigings van die ander aanvul- ende hulpdienste word ook hoog op prys gestel. s Die jaar 1973 is ’n baken in die geskiedenis van die tn v u llen d e hulpdienste in die R epubliek. In hierdie ja a r net parelange harde w erk van baie mense en baie ver­ enigings vrugte 'begin afw erp. In hierdie jaar het ons die stigting van die beroepsrade vir drie van die aan- vullende gesondheid dienste gesien, naam lik Fisioterapie, Optometrie en M ediese Tegnologie. E k is persoonlik baie trots daarop dat, hoewel m iskien terloops, die eerste Beroepsraad w at gestig is die van Fisioterapie is, en die eerste B eroepsraad w at ’n vergadering gehou het ook die van F isioterapie is. Dit is ook terloops dat ek vir die grootste gedeelte van my profesionele lewe verbonde is aan die aanvul- lende gesondheidsdienste. As superintendent van die Frere H ospitaal, Oos L onden, h et ek ’n kursus in R adio- grafie gestig. D it was die begin van m y belangstelling. Later, as D ekaan van die F a k u lte it G eneeskunde, U ni- versiteit van K aapstad, het ek K ursusse in Fisioterapie, Arbeidsterapie en nou Spraakterapie begin. V ir onge- veer tien ja a r is ek no u die v o o rsitter van die G enees- kundige R aad se K om itee o p A anvullende H ulpdienste dit is dus vanselfsprekend w aarom ek nou so innig bly is dat die param ediese dienste m et sulke rasseskrede gedurende die laaste p aar ja a r gevorder het. It is a m a tte r o f interest th a t the last Presidential Address I delivered on the occasion o f the 9th meeting of the N ational C ouncil should have been on th e very day that the A m endm ent to th e M edical, D ental and pharm acy A ct, A ct N o. 43 o f 1971 w as prom ulgated ™ the G overnm ent G az e tte an d th a t I should have d e­ voted m y Presidential A ddress on th a t occasion to an explanation o f the very am ending A ct w hich makes possible the com pulsary registration o f supplem entary health personnel. It is in terms o f this A ct th a t the professional boards are now being established. A s I have said it is a m atter of great pride to me th a t the first board so established was that of P hysiotherapy. I think it is only just th a t this should have been th e case. T he South A frican Society of Physiotherapy has played a leading p a rt in the evolution o f th e present situation. A t the risk o f repeating m yself m ay I rem ind you th at our Society m 1927 i.e. two years after its foundation, interviewed members of P arliam en t an d the M inister o f H ealth jn an attem pt to obtain registration fo r m asseurs (as the term was then) under the South A frican M edical and D ental Council then u n d er consideration an d created °y Parliam ent in 1928. T hey were successful an d the r k J u?es governing th e conduct of masseurs was pub- iq5n ■ *n *ssue ° f the G overnm ent G azette in ■ 0 i.e. two years afte r th e passing o f the A ct. A year later 13 masseurs had placed them selves voluntarily on th e register. It w as n o t until 1946 i.e. 15 years later th at o th er param edicals registered w ith the C ouncil. On the 31st D ecem ber 1972, 1 530 physiotherapists names appeared on the C ouncil’s register (this does no t include the 198 masseurs so registered). T he M edical T ech­ nologists were next in num ber w ith 1 103 nam es (all categories) on the register (with the establishm ent of the professional boards registrations have been m ore accurately determ ined). T he principal o f com pulsory registration o f physiotherapists (and other param edicals) has been advocated by o u r Society since its inception. T he saga o f com pulsory registration is a story of a protracted struggle w ith abortive attem pts a t legislation in 1952 and 1955 when on each o f tw o occasions a Bill for the com pulsory registration of supplem entary health personnel failed to reach the statute book. A ct N o. 43 o f 1971 m akes com pulsory registration possible bu t a lot o f w ork will still have to be undertaken before it is possible fo r areas to b e prescribed where registration will be com pulsory. T he present situation is one o f experim entation and cautious progress tow ards realising this ideal. It is a bold m easure adopted by o u r legislature to m ake it possible under certain conditions fo r each of th e professions supplem entary to M edicine to form its own professional board under th e overall aegis of the South A frican M edical and D ental C ouncil. I t is in­ teresting to note th a t in the recently published Bill to consolidate and am end the legal requirem ents o f training and registration o f m edical practitioners, dentists su p ­ plem entary health service personnel the principle o f the holism o f the professions providing health services is m aintained and provision is m ade fo r the retention of the professional boards under the aegis o f th e M edical Council. I have stressed the p a rt played by the South A frican Society fo r P hysiotherapy in achieving this goal. . We here today should be greatly appreciative of the dedi­ cation and devotion to duty o f m em bers of th e Society th ro u g h o u t the years. In 1973 a g reat university recog­ nised the place o f P hysiotherapy by conferring on the head o f th e D ep artm en t o f P hysiotherapy the highest academ ic title nam ely th a t o f Professor. I refer to Miss Jean Blair. T h e Society, can well b e pro u d o f its achievem ents. In term s o f the A ct the M inister has expressed his opinion th a t the South A frican Society of Physiotherapy is representative o f the m ajority o f persons w hose nam e appears on the register and the M edical C ouncil thus consulted with o u r Society before recom m ending to the State President th at a professional b o a rd be estab ­ lished in respect o f the profession of Physiotherapy. T h e status enjoyed by the South A frican Society is indicative o f the value placed u pon such a Professional Society by the authorities concerned w ith the provision of h ealth services in th e R epublic o f South A frica. M em ­ bership of such societies in the case o f the Supple­ m entary H ealth Services is n o t obligatory. It is thus gratifying to know th at the vast m ajority o f practising and even non-practising physiotherapists are m em bers of th e South A frican Society. T he Society is affiliated to the W orld C onfederation o f Physical T h erap y a n d a strong South A frican delegation will be attending the next m eet­ ing o f the W orld C onfederation to be held in M ontreal in June 1974. P ap ers will be presented illustrative of R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. ) 14 P H Y S I O T H E R A P Y DECEMBER, 1 9 7 3 the w ork being done by param edicals (in particular physiotherapists) in the provision of health services in th e R epublic o f South A frica. O ur legislature g o v ern ­ ing param edicals is alm ost unique in th a t it provides a large m easure of self-determ ination an d au tonom y to the param edical groups b u t at the sam e time retaining the holistic ap proach to the patient. W e have avoided the m ultiplicity of independent statu to ry boards and councils as in th e case fo r instance in th e U n ited K in g ­ dom w here in addition to th e G eneral M edical C ouncil they have the G eneral N ursing C ouncil, th e G eneral M idw ifery C ouncil, the G eneral O ptical C ouncil and the B oard to register professions supplem entary to M edi­ cine. U n d er our system each o f the professions for w hom a professional b o ard is established rem ains under the aegis of the M edical and D ental C ouncil w hich p ro ­ vides overall supervision to m aintain uniform ity of app roach. T hus the concept of a H ealth team is virtually legally protected. N o profession (be it m edical or p a ra ­ m edical) engaged in providing health services can “go it alone”. E ach is dependent on the other. W hereas th e m edical p ractitio n er b y reason o f his training is the captain o f the team he is n o t him self in the position to provide the highly skilled services of persons specially trained in p articu lar fields. It is his d u ty to co-ordinate the services to ensure th a t th e public secures th e benefits of m odern m edical science. W ith the rapid developm ent o f the param edical p ro ­ fessions a problem has arisen as to how th e m edical professions of the skills, functions and lim itations of these rapidly developing professions. T he undergraduate m edical curriculum is so loaded th a t m y faculty board has long ago established the principle th a t nothing will be added to the curriculum unless a like am o u n t is taken out. H ow ever, I am o f the opinion th a t the P hysiotherapy D epartm ents are becom ing less th e du m p ­ ing grounds of the diagnostically destitute and on few er occasions are reference slips m arked “ F o r P hysiotherapy, please” , w ith no indication of the treatm ent. T here is an increasing inclination of the m edical practitioner to consult w ith the param edicals as equal professional colleagues, the p atien t being regarded as a w hole and not fragm ented and divided betw een the various p rofes­ sions w ith varying professional interests. T h e interest of the p atient m ust rem ain p aram o u n t and is best served by a m edical team com posed of the relevant skilled p ro ­ fessional persons. t Professional societies have a tw o-fold function. T he one is virtually th a t of a trad e union to see th a t its m em bers received due recognition from th e em ploying authorities fo r their professional services and are adequately financially rew arded. T h e second an d per­ haps m ore im p o rtan t function in the public interest is th a t of th e m aintenance o f professional standards. I t is for the societies to cam paign fo r the recognition of their professional status by other professions. It is fo r the societies to take the lead in establishing correct in ter­ professional relationships to ensure th a t their pro fes­ sions receive due and adequate recognition, it is fo r the societies to counteract the untrained, u northodox prac­ titioners who trade on the gullibility of the public. The recently published Bill goes m uch fu rth e r in protecting the public from the quack th an is a t present the case. Legislation can go so fa r b u t has its lim itations. The education of th e public in this regard is of fa r greater im portance th a n any legislation. T his education can best be carried out through th e m edium o f th e p ro ­ fessional societies. It is one of the professional societies’ functions to educate the public and to dem onstrate th value of its services of properly trained persons. I have endeavoured to show the vital role p laveH by the societies in the establishm ent o f proper contr 1 and in the protection of the public. P rofessional societie are very often criticised. People are a p t to ask “what is the Society doing fo r m e?” “W h at has the Society done ab o u t this and w hat has the Society done about th a t? ” Such persons very often are n o t members of th e Society or if they are m em bers usually take verv little active p a rt in the w ork of the Society. T o such persons my advice is join th e Society if you are not a m em ber, or if you are a m em ber, take an active part an d pull your weight rath er th an criticise the efforts of others. F ailure to join or resignation from professional societies m akes no contribution either to the public interest or the status of the profession. T h e 'N ational C ouncil of our Society is now meeting fo r th e 10th occasion. M r. M inister, you m ay notice that I re fer constantly to our Society. I should p oint out t( you as I have do n e to others on previous occasions that my office in this Society is th a t of President, you will notice M r. M inister, th at the w ord “H o n o ra ry ” does not appear in m y title thus as a w orking official of this Society I feel m ore than justified in referring to it as our Society. T h e N atio n al C ouncil of our Society will be meeting now fo r the 10th occasion. T he A genda is illustrative of the am ount of work perform ed by the m em bers of the Society th ro u g h o u t the country. We see on the Agenda reports fro m all parts of the country indicative of the professional activity th a t is being displayed on a nation­ wide basis. A lthough I am y o u r President, I do not take an active p a rt in the day to day running of the Society, th erefore I feel th a t I am in a privileged posi­ tion, although one of you I am n o t personally involved and thus I am able to com m ent on th e w ork you have perform ed and are perform ing not only in the interests of y o u r profession b u t to ensure th a t th e public is safe­ guarded and is in receipt o f a service o f a very high standard. In particular I find the reports of Groups, R epresentatives and Branches o f our Society most in­ interests of th e Society covering items from manipu­ lative therapists to N atio n al Council fo r Aged, Souths A frican P araplegic G am es A ssociation. W ith no les( th an 10 branches of th e Society th ro u g h o u t the country holding regular meetings a t w hich n o t only the business of the Society is discussed b u t case presentations and clinical discussions take place, it can only result in continued professional interest and a high standard of service. A lthough I hope to rem ain w ith you fo r th e greater p a rt of your meeting I w ould like to wish you every success and a very fru itfu l 10th C ouncil meeting. T en slote wil ek u, E delagbare M inister, bedank vir u teenw oordigheid hier vanoggend. E k wil 0 0 k alle die R aadslede, w at van alle kante van die R epublik vir hierdie lOde V ergadering van die N asionale R aad gekom het baie h artlik w elkom heet. U teenw oordigheid op hierdie dag en b y hierdie vergardering w ord hoog op prys gestel. E k hoop u sal die verrigtinge die moeite werd vind en d a t u terug huis toe sal gaan m et die wete dat u baie geleer het en nie u tyd verspil het nie. A lle goeie wense v ir ’n doeltreffende en gelukkige ver­ gadering. R ep ro du ce d by S ab in et G at ew ay u nd er li ce nc e gr an te d by th e P ub lis he r (d at ed 2 01 3. )