For professionals – AGM 2018 Minutes

MINUTES OF AGM SASCeTS 2018

ICC DURBAN

16 NOVEMBER 2018

ROLL CALL

• • Circulated for signature. Only paid up members may vote (attached)

ACCEPTANCE OF PREVIOUS MINUTES

• • Circulated earlier. Available on the website www.sascets.org.za

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

• • Circulated earlier. Available on the website www.sascets.org.za

IGAZI

• • Video was showed on Igazi’s mission to advance Haematology in South Africa

PROJECTS FOR 2019

• • The main focus for 2018 was organizing the conference. For 2019 we want to initiate a number of projects to advance stem cell transplantation in SA

WEBSITE UPGRADE

• • We have upgraded the Website sascets.org.za and it has more functionality which we want to exploit.
  • Membership will be managed through the website including updating demographics and paying membership fees.
  • Patient infomercials for patients that are going to go into transplants on how apheresis works, autologous transplants work, importance of tissue typing. Little things that all of our centers can access
  • Registration of transplant activity
  • Problem Cases Forum, already there, encourage you to use that, read and follow
  • Access to journals

ACCREDITATION OF TRANSPLANT CENTERS

Brought up in previous meetings, accreditation of transplant units, registration of data with EBMT, EBMT’s offer to reduce the cost of membership to half for middle- and low-income countries and my proposal that private facilities assist local centers and support them. 

An important thing is the work SANBS is doing.  If SANBS get collection and cryopreservation accredited (processing and collection), it means that a clinical facility only has to worry about its clinical facility as far as its accreditation is concerned.  Does relief a burden on a technical side. Urge centers to get accreditation.

We urge centers to get accreditation. 

NHI

The objectives of the NHI are aligned with what we want in that we need to provide quality care to all South Africans. We need to support the objectives of NHI. Dr. Neil Littleton has volunteered as a doctor and representative of Igazi. The office of the Presidency contacted Igazi they want to involve action orientated organizations. Igazi has been tasked with writing a Mission Statement to be reviewed and finished by the 10^th of December 2018 for signing by The President of South Africa. 

In discussion it was noted that representatives of both SASCH and SASCETS have made previous representations. Many documents have been submitted with no reaction. 

Working party:  Dr Y Naidoo, Prof Novitzky, Dr N Littleton and Dr D Reynders on committee.

PRIVATE PRACTICE

1. • There is a need to unify the specialty code (current discrepancy dependent on base specialization).
   • There are ongoing issues for reimbursement for transplant co-ordination, harvesting, cryopreservation etc. – Dr K Gunther, Dr P de Wit, Dr Y Naidoo, Dr D Reynders
   • Elected to CMS technical committee – Dr D Brittain, Dr D Kotze, Dr C Ingram and Dr D Reynders
   • Elected to CMS oversight committee – Prof N Novitzky

PUBLIC SECTOR

• • EDL (Essential drug list) remains a problem. Dr Parasnath submitted 37 STG’s for these drugs that was not on the list. She is on the EDL committee in her hospital, not on the national committee.  DB said we need representation on those committees
  • Posts for training. Posts need to be filled. 1 at Baragwanath, otherwise no new posts. Dr Parasnath trained people but then there are no posts.  Problem is that when people qualify, they lose the qualification post when it is converted to sub-specialist post.  Posts belongs to Dep of Health.  Approach both heads of departments according to Prof Novitzky.  Dr Parasnath say he does not understand the problem because all posts are held at Albert Lethuli hospital, not held at medical school We do not get paid as sub-specialists.  DB emphasized the need to train to retrain.  Dr Parasnath request Dr Littleton to also raise this to the President’s office.  Albert Lethuli’s number of posts has stayed the same since 2003.
  • Committee: Dr S Parasnath, Dr V Louw, Dr Y Naidoo, Dr N Littleton.

ACADEMIC FOCUS

• • Working parties and National registries – Dr E Verburgh, Dr J du Toit, Dr H Koornhoff, Dr A M^CDonald
  • Lymphoid
  • Myeloid
  • CAR-T’s – Dr D Brittain, Dr E Verburgh, Dr J du Toit, Dr J Thomson, Prof M Pepper

AFRICAN SOCIETY FOR BMT

Prof Novitsky said we should not forget the African Society.  We have to support them.  Dr Brittain asked Prof N to involve those people for us to interact with them and come back with a proposal to the executive committee. Prof NN said we should assist them not do their work.  A sub-committee was initiated – Prof N Novitzky, Dr E Verburgh and Dr J Thomson.

REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION TO REFLECT A BROADER BASE OF MEMBERS

The constitution was read, and a few points were revised. There being a quorum this was accepted. Since no further commentary was received within 30 days the amendments to the constitution have been signed and published on the Website.

NEW MEMBERS

30 new member applications were received and approved by the executive committee.

FINANCIALS

Still outstanding are the signature of Prof N Novitzky on the reviewed financial statements from 2014 to 2018. This is to finalize the application to SARS for Non-Profit Organization Status.  Final reconciliation from the conference has yielded a profit of R 174,000.00 and our current balance is R647,000.00. This money will be used as seed money for the next conference, maintaining the Website and supporting the activities of the society.

DATE FOR NEXT MEETING

Next meeting was not decided but given the academic and financial success of the meeting held in Nov 2018 in conjunction with SASMO I would suggest we do this again. This means the next meeting will be in 2020. I suggest that we concentrate on our society specific projects in 2019 and focus on working party workshops. The first is scheduled for the 12^th of April 2019.

WORKING PARTIES

I suggest the WP’s be divided into two streams, Operational and Academic/Research

1. 1. Operational should include the projects listed above under Public Sector and private sector dealing with National regulatory and reimbursement environments. Ultimately, I see these as naturally migrating to the Clinical Haematology Society since the issues are broader than Transplantation.
      
      
   2. Academic & research would divide into
      • • Accreditation and activity reporting, quality control as specifically related to transplant activity and
        • Disease specific Working Parties that I have initially divided into Myeloid and Lymphoid sectors from where they will naturally divide as strengths develop.

Besides those who were nominated for the working parties, everyone is welcome.  Please contact Liezl Slump (liezls@oncology-sa.co.za) directly to arrange transport to the first working party meeting.

CLOSE

Thank you to Adelle Coertze, Liezl Slump and Michael Cass for all their work on the conference. Thank you to everybody attending the AGM and the conference.

Dr D Brittain

Chairman