On behalf of its members the SA Heart Board^® expresses its heartfelt condolences on the tragic loss of our dear colleagues, Dr Curnick Siyabonga Mahlangu, Dr Kgopotso Rudolph Mononyane, Mpho Xaba and Sinjin Joshua Farrance who have lost their lives when a helicopter they were travelling with to transfer a patient for critical care, crashed and killed all on board. We pay utmost respect to their selfless dedication to duty and mourn their untimely passing. SA Heart® extends its deepest sympathies to their and the pilot’s families, to Netcare, the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons and the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists.

https://www.news24.com/news24/southafrica/news/civil-aviation-authority-probing-netcare-helicopter-crash-that-killed-pilot-4-healthcare-workers-20210121

Digital health is no longer an abstract concept but a lifeline for people living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and for the overstretched workforce that cares for them amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among NCDs, circulatory diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and chronic kidney disease (CKD) remain the leading causes of mortality and disability globally. Changing this sobering reality - as well as contributing to achieving target 3.4 of the Sustainable Development Goals - will require leveraging digital health tools to prevent, diagnose and manage cardiovascular and other circulatory diseases.

The new WHF position paper – The Case for the Digital Transformation of Circulatory Health – explores how digital innovation can improve healthcare for people with circulatory diseases and supports policymakers to leverage technology through five recommendations:

1. Investing in end users: building the digital capacity of the health workforce.
2. Serving end users: building the digital literacy of patients, their families and communities.
3. Protecting end users: establishing regulations and protocols for patient privacy & safety.
4. Ensuring sustainable financing mechanisms for digital health: establishing infrastructure and prioritizing funding.
5. Supporting research on digital health: setting priorities that address digital health inequalities.

Click here to read the paper and here to read our blog on how the digital age can remedy the unequal access to healthcare that has preceded it.

If you have missed the Sunday Times Connect webinar on heart matters and angina with Drs Jankelow and Butau, the webinar will remain on the Sunday Times Facebook page and online (https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/lifestyle/health-and-sex/2020-09-23-join-the-sunday-times-connect-digital-discussion-about-heart-health-on-september-29-2020-at-1pm/ to consult at your leisure. 

The South African Heart Association (SA Heart®) wishes to express our deepest condolences to the family of Dr Abdullhay Munshi, a soft and gentle anaesthetist, who was murdered on 16^th September.

SA Heart® and all of its special interest groups, standing committees and regional branches condemns any act of violence towards any person.  Sadly, in our country, acts of violence, all too common, are a deep blight on our society.  The context of this particular case demands that we draw attention to the dangerous plight of healthcare workers in particular.

In 2019 Dr Munshi, together with Professor Peter Beale were charged with culpable homicide after the tragic death of a ten-year old patient. Due process was not followed and before proper investigation by the Health Professions Council, these colleagues were arrested and treated as common criminals.  This unprecedented abuse is now followed by murder in broad daylight.  

These unfortunate events have now set an extremely dangerous precedent for all healthcare workers in South Africa. All of our society should be appalled, and outraged.

We call for immediate concerted action by South African law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators of this heinous deed to justice.

We stand in solidarity with all medical professionals and associations / societies that are outraged by this senseless act, which represents one of the darkest moments of the medical profession in our country.

Dr David Jankelow

President and Board Chair, SA Heart®

If you have missed the insightful Mail&Guardian sponsored by SA Heart® webinar on Covid 19 and CVD: The Heart in time of crises you can access the synopsis here or  you can access the recording here 

Concern about radiation exposure is a known reason why women do not go in to cardiology. Women as One has announced the launch of the "Radiation Safety in the Practice of Cardiology: What All Women Should Know" toolkit. Click here to find out more. 

The South African Sports Medicine Association has issued a statement on the implications of Covid-19 on resumption of sport in South Africa. Download their position statement for information. 

Watch this discussion with Minister of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize, Prof Salim Karim, Prof Guy Richards and Dr David Jankelow broadcast on 24 August 2020 here

European Heart Journal - Open (EHJ Open) is the new and upcoming Open Access journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) dedicated to the entire spectrum of cardiovascular medicine.

EHJ Open serves as a forum for the global cardiology community and publishes original papers on all aspects of cardiovascular medicine and surgery, along with reviews, clinical perspectives, and editorials about recent developments in cardiology. EHJ Open also encourages correspondence, debate and digital interaction from its readers.

The ESC seeks highly engaged and motivated candidates for the position of EHJ Open Editor-in-Chief (EiC).

For more information click here

With great sadness we mourn the loss of our colleague and friend, Professor Lungile Pepeta – Paediatric Cardiologist, former Vice-President of SA Heart® and Dean of Nelsen Mandela Faculty of Health Sciences. A gentle giant, a dedicated and paediatrician, and a wonderful family man. He loved his profession and his country. He will be sorely missed in our community.

We promise to take up the baton you have left behind for us to pick up, in your passionate quest to uplift and improve the health of our commmunities, with the resolve to never fail you. Lala ngoxolo tata Pepeta. Sithi ngxe kusapho nakwiisizwe siphela.