Pretoria - Group Five has been appointed to manage PetroSA’s 2013 maintenance shutdown, said the national oil company on Thursday.

In a statement, PetroSA said the integrated construction and infrastructure services firm had been appointed following a rigorous tender process. The firm is part of the core team working on the 2013 shutdown. It will mainly manage the mechanical works during the maintenance period.

PetroSA will suspend operations at its Mossel Bay facilities for 37 days from 22 September for a planned statutory maintenance shutdown. The maintenance shutdown will affect the Mossel Bay Gas-To-Liquids (GTL) Refinery and the offshore FA Platform.

The shutdown is aimed at ensuring the integrity of equipment and systems at the GTL Refinery and FA Platform. PetroSA is required by law to undergo a maintenance shutdown of facilities every four years.

“We have a very proud record of executing our shutdowns on time and within budget. In appointing Group Five as the EMC [Engineering Management Contractor], we are confident it is a continuation of that proud record. Group Five is a well-established company, with lots of experience,” Dr Thabo Kgogo, PetroSA’s Vice President of Operations said.

Kgogo welcomed Group Five’s appointment, saying the company will assist PetroSA in ensuring that the shutdown is executed with professionalism and expertise, while also adhering to environmental and safety requirements.

To ensure a successful shutdown, PetroSA identified 86 contracts (of which the EMC is but one) that have or will be awarded. These include numerous technology suppliers and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), which will be involved in inspecting and overhauling compressors, turbines and complex electronic equipment.

All of these contracts will work very close with Group Five, and PetroSA will oversee and ensure the success of the shutdown.

The shutdown is expected to involve a combined workforce of about 4 000 full- and part-time employees. This is inclusive of temporary employees sourced from the Mossel Bay community.

During the 2009 shutdown, 80% of the total workforce was made up of people from the Mossel Bay area. PetroSA is confident of maintaining similar employment levels in the 2013 shutdown.

Group Five, a JSE-listed company, is a diversified construction, infrastructure concessions and related services group engaged in resources, energy, real estate and infrastructure delivery. – SAnews.gov.za

Pretoria - The National Health Laboratory Service and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases, together with the national Department of Health, will commemorate World Hepatitis Day on Monday, 29 July.

Community workers, clinicians and researchers from hospitals and academic institutes across South Africa will participate in this national event, and gain insight into Hepatitis and the existing developments around the disease.

The theme for this year is, ‘This is Hepatitis. Know it. Confront it’.

Hepatitis B is widespread in sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa. In South Africa, up until now, Hepatitis B has been particularly common in two age groups - young children and young sexually active adults.

Past studies have found that about 8% of children under one and almost 16% of children under six years of age are infected with Hepatitis B.

Between 10% and 18% of South African adults are Hepatitis B virus carriers. Infection has been more common in some areas of the country, for example the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

Since vaccination of all children against Hepatitis B was started in 1995, it is hoped that the disease and its complications will soon become far less prevalent.

Over two billion people are infected globally and more than 240 million have chronic liver infections due to Hepatitis B virus (HBV).

About 170 million people are infected with Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and more than 350 000 people die from liver disease related to the infection every year.

As a result, one in 12 people worldwide is living with the disease. World Hepatitis Day serves to make people aware of Hepatitis, inform them about the risks and break down stigma.

HBV and HCV are transmitted through infected blood and blood products, sexual contact, inadequately sterilised surgical equipment and sharing needles for drug use. In many cases, the route of transmission is not known.

Blood safety in South Africa has effectively reduced Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C transmission.

Up until 1995, the Hepatitis B vaccine was only given to people in high risk groups, particularly healthcare workers.

Children and adults born before 1995 will probably not have been vaccinated against Hepatitis B. It is advisable for young people who are sexually active to be vaccinated against Hepatitis B.

In older children and adults, the vaccine is given in three doses, usually over six months. It is important that three doses of vaccine be given, with at least one month spacing between them, in order for good immunity to be achieved. - SAnews.gov.za

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Pretoria – Since childhood, Leepile Reamogetse Taunyane knew that one day his hands would heal people and he would make a contribution to improving the country’s healthcare services.

Taunyane, from Mafikeng in the North West, completed his Grade 12 in 2008 and wanted to study medicine. Unfortunately, he didn’t meet the criteria required in some medical schools and could not get in.

Determined to fulfil his dream, the 22-year-old decided to study at the University of North West, where he did a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Chemistry Junior Degree, as well as Honours in Molecular Microbiology to improve his chances of being accepted to medical school.

After applying for a few years to get into the South African-Cuba Medical Students Training Programme, Taunyane was finally accepted this year and will be among the 1 000 students who will jet off to Cuba in September.

“It’s something I always wanted and I knew that one day, I would get a chance. My goal was to go into medicine, hence the degrees I did were more inclined with the medical field ... They offered a better chance to be accepted to any medical school. I wanted to boost my marks with university marks because I knew my potential and it improved my chances,” said an elated Taunyane.

Asked how prepared he is, especially considering that he will have to spend a year learning in Spanish, a confident Taunyane said he has been preparing for this day and has been doing research for the past few years.

“If you know that you want to study medicine abroad, you have to set your mind to adapt to the lifestyle and society on the other side. I’m more prepared now than matric because I also had a few years to prepare while in university,” he said.

He commended the Health Department for this positive initiative. However, he stressed that the outcome rests on the students themselves, who will have to work hard and perform to the best of their abilities.

“The rest is upon us, it solely rests on how an individual relates to this career.”

Making a difference

On the challenges facing his community regarding healthcare services and what difference he would make on his return from Cuba, Taunyane noted that the transport system, in terms of ambulances, was the main challenge.

“This challenge has been overlooked and being a doctor, I would be able to confront it because the elders can’t receive the necessary attention and care they need due to non-availability of transport and they are far from hospitals. Maybe one can raise this with the department and as a doctor, look at this issue and offer a way to address it.

“One can come up with a strategy, offer mobile clinic services that can be available nearby where people live. I believe that you have to experience certain instances in order to address them,” Taunyane said.

While some are not keen to work in rural areas, Taunyane stressed a need to place more emphasis and focus on rural communities.

“I would rather go to a place where I see there’s not much that has been done and that’s exactly where I want to go. I wouldn’t want to see challenges in rural communities while sitting in urban areas,” he told SAnews

Getting ready for Cuba

On 23 July, Deputy Health Minister Dr Gwen Ramokgopa met with the selected students from the North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

The aim of the meeting was to brief them on the processes of the 2013/14 academic year in Cuba and the programme; what is required and expected from them, and generally prepare them for the commencement of the programme this coming September.

Ramokgopa warned the students that while in Cuba, they will miss home and when that happens, they should be resilient, focus, come together and sing the National Anthem.

“You are going there with a mission; medicine is an international language that is scientific. When doctors talk, they talk the same language because humans are the same and you will be learning about the same diseases,” Ramokgopa said.

She also highlighted the challenges involved in studying in Cuba, including how far it is from home, having to learn Spanish as well as not getting the food of their choice.

“You are not going be able to watch DSTV and sometimes you will not have the food that you want, but there’s always an alternative and their food is healthily balanced… This is the real world, you will get these pressures.

“The health system in Cuba is one of the best in the world and has eradicated many diseases, especially TB,” Ramokgopa told the students.

On the issue of their monthly stipend, which saw some students returning to South Africa after a strike over the R2 000 monthly stipend, Ramokgopa maintained that the amount was more than enough.

"Although we say it is incorrect for a family to have R2 000 as an income, but for a student, it’s more than enough. It is over and above the meals provided by Cubans. If we could afford more, we would give you, but we won’t have money to run the health system.

“We will look after you if you have concerns. Form small committees for food, accommodation, academic, social, support and if you organise yourselves, you won’t have any problems.”

Ramokgopa will also visit Pietermaritzburg in KwaZulu-Natal on Wednesday and on Thursday, she will be at Bisho in the Eastern Cape and she will end off in Bloemfontein, Free State on Friday.

About 356 doctors have so far qualified in Cuba and are practicing in healthcare facilities in South Africa. The programme is aimed at tackling the doctor shortage and assisting in the overhauling of the healthcare system. – SAnews.gov.za

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