Message from the President

Welcome to the official website of the SAOA!

It is with pride that I welcome you and invite you to enjoy the information contained in these pages.

Our website provides the SAOA with an opportunity to showcase “What the SAOA is doing for you as Member”

Although we are probably facing the most challenging of economic turbulence in a long time – I am excited about the opportunities there exist for us to provide our patients with the care they deserve.

Whether that may be in the private or public sector – the earth is ripe to sow the seed in this fruitful environment - where optometry have over the years made inroads in raising the profile of our profession.

During the next 2 years I commit myself to lead the profession by supporting my fellow Directors in excellent service delivery related to our particular portfolios – to convince every member of the SAOA about the tangible benefits the SAOA has to offer.

With our advocacy programmes we have been successful in creating the awareness of our expertise as a first point of call for patients in need of eye care. The change in the scope of our profession - related to the use and application of Therapeutic Pharmaceutical Agents – is a direct result of constant lobbying on behalf of our members that stretches over a period of more than 15 years.

The SAOA will be in close collaboration with the various stake holders, related to the way forward in the development of the curriculum and training of our members - in order to be able to help our patients to an even higher level of clinical excellence.

Our lobbying with the Department of Transport regarding the promulgation of two yearly comprehensive eye examinations for every person who is in possession of a Professional Drivers Permit, had been an ongoing process – but once achieved – will result in a tangible benefit to all our practices. The Eye Sense for Your License is an ongoing programme to the benefit of both the public and the practitioner.

Our commitment to the process of Transformation is ongoing and part of every strategy in all our portfolios and activities. The SAOA will continue with our activities to have representation as the Transformation strategy had been developed – not only for the sake of Transformation – but because we believe the SAOA should be home to all our members.

The Reference Price List and developments related to this process demands constant and intimate participation on behalf of our members. The Directors, Office bearers and representatives of the SAOA are fully committed to this process and represent our members at various levels of the process to ensure that our practitioners can continue their daily practice activities uninterrupted.

As we are in essence operating from a private sector perspective – it is natural for our members to have the perception that we do not achieve a lot in a limited period of time – because in the secure enclave of private practice, one is seldom confronted with the dead slow pace in which the wheels of the beaurocracy turns. It is only with tenacious commitment and follow through that we eventually chisel away at the big rocks.

The SAOA Directorate and Office bearers are constantly looking for opportunities to improve the awareness of eye care amongst the public in order to improve patient flow to our member practices.

We are currently in the process of negotiating with the Minister and Department of Education to promulgate the need for frequent eye examinations for children in formal education. The goal of our endeavour is not only to lobby for the promulgation of frequent eye examinations – but also for the financial support of the Departments of Health and Education to patients in the public sector. Should we achieve our goal, needy patients – whether privately paying, medical aid supported or receiving health care in the public sector – should be able to attend to the practices of our members and Bonang clinics and be in a position to receive the necessary care they deserve.

The SAOA holds it as a key activity to develop the required coding structure in order for our practitioners to render claims to medical aids for services rendered to patients. We have a dedicated Coding Committee that keeps abreast with the latest clinical developments in materials and procedures as well as the fluid environment of medical schemes regulations.

Our lobbying with the Department of Health over many years, have successfully established the perception of the value of the role optometry plays in the delivery of primary health care. As a result various Provinces have created Public Sector Posts for optometrists – opening up access to primary care to a larger percentage of our population. It is the role of the SAOA to foster even closer relations with the Department of Health in the form of Public-Private Partnerships to make available the clinical skill of our practitioners and administrative expertise of our Bonang clinic structure.

Our pilot Public Private Partnership project in the Western Cape Metropole - where the SAOA Bonang Clinic renders care to patients in the public sector - has proved to be very successful and has proven to the Department of Health the dire need for eye care to these patients. The programme had been extended from a refractive error program to a primary eye care programme where a full system towards the identification, diagnosis and treatment of Cataracts, Glaucoma and Diabetic retinopathy had been developed and implemented. This program is run at the hand of a cost recovery model and could hopefully be duplicated into other districts and provinces – opening up many posts for our young optometric and dispensing professionals to gain valuable exposure and experience for use in future private practice.

The SAOA Directorate has firmly committed itself to developing the profession of Dispensing Opticianry as part of an extension of the expertise we render in our practices. We have a dedicated Director driving this process and we have a firm strategy where we would like to increase access to the education programme by lobbying for satellite training centres throughout the country.

We have over the last few years developed many of our frontline staff in private practice by way of our Optometric Assistant’s Course to ensure that our workforce renders an even more valuable and efficient service to the public.

Over that last 18 months we have explored many options to establish the most beneficial website and database structure for our membership. We urge you as members to support our office staff and consultants to make the most of these valuable tools to the benefit of everyone. We would like you to participate in the use and further development of the website once it is launched. We are aware that in the age of information technology the website will be the most valuable tool for communication between the public and our members and therefore we put a high price on contributions and suggestions from you, our members.

There are so many areas in which we can make substantial inroads and achieve enormous success – but we need you as members to put your weight behind us and offer your availability and support when needed. Not only in the form of membership contributions, but more so in responding to our efforts (whether you are happy or unhappy) and feeding us with ideas and opportunities that can be capitalized on – to the benefit of everybody.

Our commercial interests are our own – but the interest of our profession is universal.

Whether you find yourself in independent practice, group or franchise environments, in a Bonang clinic or in the public sector - the SAOA is the vehicle with which we drive this collective process.

I would like to wish every practitioner in optometry and dispensing opticianry a successful and unified 2009.

Do not hesitate to contact me personally at 0823741281 or at deidredj@mweb.co.za with your concerns, ideas and possible opportunities for optometry.

Deidre de Jongh
SAOA: President