12th RuDASA National Conference 2008

Theme: The Rural Health TEAM – Together Each Achieves More

18 – 20 September 2008
Beaufort West, Karoo, Western Cape

This year's Rudasa conference was held in Beaufort West, in the heart of the Karoo. The central Karoo town, perhaps best known for driving through it on the way between Cape Town and Joburg was transformed between the 18-20 September as 220 delegates from around the country met to discuss and debate rural health issues.

This year the conference theme focussed on the rural health *team*
*T*ogether *E*ach *A*chieves *M*ore.

In addition to the doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, physios, speech therapists, pharmacists and radiographers who attended, 40 students representing each of the universities in SA also attended.

For those of you who were unable to attend, powerpoints of the plenary sessions are available for download below, as well as the conference report, which summarizes the take home points of the excellent presentations given during the weekend.

Many thanks to the conference organizers for the long hours and hard work they put into making the conference a success. We look forward to building on this experience next year, and hope to see many more rural health care practitioners at the August 2009 conference to be held in the North West Province. Watch this space!

• Conference Report [ 95kb]
• Plenary Session:
  • The Rural PHC Team: Tales and Trials - Prof. Ian Couper
  • Alma Ata and Primary Health Care in India - Dr. Rajamani
  • Research in Rural Health - Prof. Steve Reid
  • Training of Family Physicians in SA - Prof. Pierre de Villiers
  • Obstetrics in a Rural Health Setting - Dr. Stefan Gebhardt