AMENDMENT TO THE VETERINARY AND PARAVETERINARY ACT

PRESENTATION OUTLINE  Background  Strategic intent  Veterinary and Para veterinary professions Act  Progress to date, draft regulations, issues for private sector  Parliamentary Procedure  Way forward and concluding remarks

BACKGROUND ON THE VETERINARY ‘CRISIS’  Severe human resource (veterinarians) shortages (>35% vacancies in the state institutions) & skewed distribution (rural provinces vs industrialised ‘urban’ provinces)  Reason = Multi-complex “Salaries & allowances, job satisfaction, career path, resources, leadership, migration (especially of newly qualified graduates), low output (? single faculty), employment equity, crime, etc”  National & Global challenge

 Managing migration  Migration of graduates  Planned utilization of human resource  Managing maldistribution  Geo-maldistribution  Focus-maldistribution −Lab exposure (diagnostic, food safety, disease control, research) −Regulatory medicine (Disease control, international trade, etc) −Species (production animal medicine, equine practice) STRATEGIC INTENT

THE VETERINARY AND PARAVETERINARY PROFESSIONS ACT  The Veterinary and Para-Veterinary Professions Act, 1982 (Act No. 19 of 1982) (the Act) provides for the establishment, powers and functions of the South African Veterinary Council (the Council);  for the registration of persons practising veterinary professions and para-veterinary professions;  for control over the practising of veterinary professions and para- veterinary professions;  and for matters connected therewith.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE ACT Performance of Compulsory Community Service  It therefore became necessary to develop legislation to enable the Minister to make remunerated community service compulsory for persons who register for the first time as veterinarians in terms of the Act, and to make regulations concerning the performance of compulsory community service. Establishment of the appeal committee  increasing number of decisions of various committees of Council that are referred to Council for review, it has become necessary to appoint an appeal committee with the necessary expertise to deal with these applications for review.

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE ACT Inclusion of physiological condition in the definition of veterinary services  Only a duly qualified and registered veterinarian and para- veterinary professional is allowed to diagnose, treat, prevent and advise on a physiological condition in an animal in terms of section 23(2)(a)(ii) read with rule 2(a). However, section 23(2)(d) does not include any reference to a physiological condition and an amendment is sought to avoid any conflict between the two sections and to clarify the definition

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE ACT Continued registration of foreign veterinarian by attaining permanent residency  The purpose of the amendment is to provide for continued registration of a veterinarian with a foreign qualification on receiving permanent residency status in South Africa. Registration of a person who has completed the relevant qualifications but which has not been conferred  The amendment is required to permit the registration of a person who has completed the academic requirements for diplomas/degrees to practise a veterinary or para-veterinary profession upon the receipt of clear indication from the institutions of the date of compliance with the academic requirements of the programme.

PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE  The state law advisors advise that it is not necessary for the Bill to go through the National house of traditional Leaders in terms of section 18(1)(a) of the Traditional Leadership and Governance Framework Act, 2003 (Act 40 of 2003), since it does not contain provision pertaining to customary law or customs of traditional communities

CCS – PROGRESSION  Consultations using ‘consensus approach’  2008/2009- costing, budgets and MTEF securing of funds  Treasury has approved R90M for 01 April 2011 to 31 March 2012  2009/2010 – Draft Bill and Draft Regulations – consultations with State Law Advisers  Approval of the Bill in DAFF  2011-Parliamentary process

THANK YOU.