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South African Rheumatism and Arthritis Association: SARAA

September bulletin

SARAA Bulletin Aug/ Sept 2002

Greetings to all from David Gotlieb

Its getting closer to Arthritis Week and I have started to gather information about projects out there. All are most appreciated.

We are planning to have information on Radio, and magazines and with the upcoming launch of Bone and joint week, there is hopefully going to be a surge of publicity about arthritis.

Feedback to date

Cape Town

Plans are being set for open days on two successive Saturdays, being organised by Asgar Kalla, at Mitchell’s Plain and Khayelitsha day hospitals, where as many local and hopefully all, rheumatologists, including private, will contribute.

Ingrid Louw and Anne Halland are organizing a juvenile day at Kirstenbosch. I personally am in addition also doing a “Seniors day” meeting, a talk to the general public and a talk to the staff of Old Mutual (a base population of 7000 people), and hopefully senior medical aid personnel from old mutual medical aid. Hopefully we can get them to appreciate aspects of arthritis.

Christopher Lyddell and Dr Spargo organised a lecture day with a multidisciplinary component at the Claremont Hospital to the public last month as a for-runner to the Arthritis Day.

Bloemfontein.

Johan Van Rensburg is doing a lot in his part of the world and informs us of his plans.

He plans to do:

1.                  An exhibition in the Mimosa mall from the 21^st to 25 October. The reason for using this week is that the annual rose show is in Bloemfontein the week of 14 to 20 October and will interfere with the exhibition and the stand availability poses a problem.

2.                  On Wednesday the 16^th of October there will be a public talk about Osteoporosis at the showgrounds.

3.                  Arranging for four talks on the local radio network in September to get  the public interested and to advertise the exhibition.

4.                  He aims to advertise in the local newspaper about arthritis week in September.

The exhibition will involve:

1.                  Laminated posters with photo’s and basic information on the subjects of Rheumatoid arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Gout and Osteoporosis (these can be used for future talks and for the next arthritis week)

2.                  An exhibition of aids and utilities used by arthritis patients sponsored by ABD and the departments of physio and occupational therapy.

3.                  Two screens and PowerPoint projections on arthritis and osteoporosis with logo’s, photo’s and basic information.

4.                  Involvement of the Free State home for the disabled with a small exhibition of arts and crafts.

Future plans that have been thought of:

1.                  Incorporating the bone and joint week into the rose show He spoke to the organizing committee of the flower arrangements and they will be more than keen to make one of the categories of arrangement for 2003 arthritis and osteoporosis)

2.                  It will be good to have a crossword puzzle with a prize and draw at the end of the week.

Durban

Prof Mody has been busy organizing a Rheumatology workshop that he is running on 4 September 2002, with contributions from local staff and doctors for primary care nurses and trainers on 4 Sept 2002.

He is also organizing a review meeting and Rheumatology update and workshop for physicians on Sunday 6 October 2002. This meeting will include lecturers, Prof Kalla, Tikly Dr Patel, Prof Meyers and Prof Govender, with Registration cost of 200 Rand.

A community awareness program is to be held on Sat 12 October at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban

National

The National launch of the BONE AND JOINT DECADE will take place on Friday 11 October. The project as you know is coordinated by Prof Mody and he needs our congratulations for the effort he puts in. I will be attending with Dr Halland and Prof Kalla from Cape Town. Prof Mody is organizing the day. Please contact Prof Mody for information.

News of SARAA conference 2003

The organizing Committee of Johannesburg region are relocating the conference from the original site in Bloemfontein to the Johannesburg area. They are busy getting foreign visitors invited and getting sponsorships. We await the notification of members and The first announcement should be out any day now.

AFLAR conference 2003

The second announcement is now issued and available from Prof Mody on request. Prof Mody as you know is President of AFLAR.

The digital Camera project

All 8 cameras are now fully sponsored and purchased. I have got the cameras for Pretoria and Johannesburg with me and will try to deliver them in the next 2 weeks. To my disappointment, I haven’t received a single photograph yet from anyone who has already received the cameras

We require the following format

Send via email to me.

Send JPEG images

Make the resolution 800 x 600

Do not send as a PowerPoint image

Rename the photograph with a basic diagnosis of the problem and type of picture i.e. clinica/x-ray

Send common classical cases, not only rare things

Try take the cameras on every ward round so that the cases can be photographed immediately.

Rheumatology News

Well done to Asgar – you should receive your copy in the near future.

I will also try and put it on-line.

 Arthritis Foundation

The annual meeting has taken place and there is a new mood in the foundation with a “Bosberaad” planned to get the organisation on track. A manager is likely to be appointed, and SARAA appeals to the organisation to put that on tender rather than keep the appointment at an in-house level.

MSD forum

The next forum is planned for 2003 - February

 Keep smiling

Well that’s all folks – except to say…

Keep it up….

All the best

David Gotlieb

SARAA

A doctor and his wife were having a big argument at breakfast.
"You aren't so good in bed either!" he shouted and stormed off to work.
By midmorning, he decided he'd better make amends and phoned home. After many rings, his wife picked up the phone.
"What took you so long to answer?"
"I was in bed."
"What were you doing in bed this late?"
"Getting a second opinion."

A pipe burst in a doctor's house. He called a plumber. The plumber arrived, unpacked his tools, did mysterious plumber-type things for a while, and handed the doctor a bill for $600.
The doctor exclaimed, "This is ridiculous! I don't even make that much as a doctor!."
The plumber quietly answered, "Neither did I when I was a doctor."

A man walks into a doctor's office. He has a cucumber up his nose, a carrot in his left ear and a banana in his right ear.
"What's the matter with me?" he asks the doctor.
The doctor replies, "You're not eating properly."

At a medical convention, a male doctor and a female doctor start eyeing each other. The male doctor asks her to dinner and she accepts. As they sit down at the restaurant, she excuses herself to go and wash her hands.
After dinner, one thing leads to another and they end up in her hotel bedroom. Just as things get hot, the female doctor interrupts and says she has to go and wash her hands. Once she comes back they go for it. After the sex session, she gets up and says she is going to wash her hands.
As she comes back the male doctor says, "I bet you are a surgeon".
She confirms and asks how he knew.
"Easy, you're always washing your hands."
She then says, "I bet you're an anesthesiologist."
Male doctor: "Wow, how did you guess?"
Female doctor: "I didn't feel a thing."