Issues in Veterinary Science

Nick Kriek, Dean

Faculty of Veterinary Science University of Pretoria

What is veterinary science?

The veterinary profession exists globally and plays a critical role in many fields pertaining to the health of animals and the health and welfare of humankind

The veterinary profession in South Africa 2500 registered veterinarians 70% in private practice 70% of those in small animal practice 30% in public practice 150 Specialists

Companion animal practice

Dogs and cats Other animals kept as pets Horses Horse-racing industry

Other types of private practice

Mixed practice Production animal practice

Cattle Small stock Pigs Poultry

Wildlife

Public practice

Governmental regulatory veterinary services Disease surveillance Diagnostic laboratories Epidemiology, GIS and other data-

management systems Disease control

Public practice

Certification Import-export control Policy development Public health

Research

Public practice

Academia Para-statals (ARC, MRC, NRF, etc) NGOs (PPF, PFI, MPI, Organised

agriculture and related activities, etc) Industry

Pharmaceutical companies Feed industry

Public practice - CPAs

Adequate and sustainable amounts of food for human consumption

Safe food Control of zoonotic diseases Control of serious animal diseases (TADs) Bio-terrorism Veterinary public health

Public practice - CPAs

Diagnostic services Import/export control Conservation of biodiversity Environmental health Wildlife, livestock, farming and

communities interface Research

Critical factors: contribution by the veterinary profession Enabling the economic production of

Sustainable and sufficient amounts of Safe animal protein, and By-products needed by various manufacturing sectors

Veterinary public health Increasing the health and welfare of the

communities of South Africa indirectly through poverty reduction and wealth creation, and

Animal welfare

Developing world

Implementation of policies to drive development: Poverty reduction Provision of sustainable sources of animal protein Control of zoonoses Control of important diseases of animals (epidemic

and TADs), and Primary health care specifically to benefit humans

Problems with delivery

Service delivery: perceptions Regulatory services

The current disarray because of decentralisation

Disease surveillance Inadequate disease surveillance because of

Decentralised management The different priorities, standards and norms Lack of human and financial resources, and Decrease in quality and functionality of diagnostic

laboratories

Data management and GIS systems are inadequate

Diagnostic services Decline of the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute

(OVI) as a national reference laboratory (Ministerial Report – Minister of Science and Technology - The status of research at the OVI, OBP and the Faculty of Veterinary Science)

Provincial, regional and state veterinary laboratories: Lack of Human resources Infrastructure Laboratory apparatus, and

to sustain the activities on an adequate level

National and provincial departments of agriculture

Norms and standards differ Constitutional dilemma Sustainability of current system Impact on the control of diseases Impact on acceptability of certification International status

Research

Decline in research capacity: OVI Historical institutional poor research output of

the Veterinary Faculties

Rural private practice

Decline in numbers and involvement Universal trend Reasons varied and complex Impact on commercial and emerging

farming sectors

Human resources

Numerous vacancies for veterinarians and technologists

Pronounced effect on the standards of services provided

The post establishments do not necessarily reflect the optimal numbers of employees

Little or no provision made for career paths and

No provision for recognition of specialists

Perceptions that employment in veterinary services and in public health in particular, is not an acceptable career path

The training of veterinarians

Veterinary training

The nature of training, and The activities of the veterinary profession cannot

remain as they are at the moment Should they not change

The profession may find itself irrelevant in a society where the necessary services may then be offered by other professions and disciplines more suited to address the various needs

Veterinary education in SA: Regional and international issues

Regulatory veterinary medicine Risk management Epidemiology Certification Import-export control

Veterinary education in SA: Regional and international issues Diagnostics Zoonoses Data management Veterinary public health

Veterinary education in SA: Drivers

Impossible to fully train a veterinarian that will be able to address all the needs of the various sectors

Future of the current veterinary curriculum Expanding needs and levels of

sophistication of the various sectors

Veterinary education: perceptions A perceived bias in the training programme on

companion animals and private practice The single faculty causes an unacceptable

degree of inbreeding Faculty lacks the capacity to address the diverse

needs of the South African livestock sector and of Government

Inadequately financed A lack of competency in research

Veterinary education: perceptions

Too few black and coloured veterinarians Training is too long and expensive Inappropriate training from the perspective

of Government and certain sectors of industry and organised agriculture

The expanding content and sophistication of veterinary training

Options in veterinary training

Tracking or streaming within a single curriculum

A degree of pre-graduate ‘specialization’,

or

Eventually, the development of two or

more independent degree programmes

Options in veterinary training Two or more different programmes Basic generic (core) training Emphasis on different fields of activity:

Large animal practice with emphasis on management (financial and farm)

Mixed animal practice Regulatory veterinary medicine Wildlife and environmental health practice Small animal practice Equine practice

Needs to implement changes in training programme Changes in the Veterinary and Para-

veterinary Act Perceptions of the profession and the

general public Political awareness and will to change Urgency of the matter – time-lag

Specific issues to deal with

Specific issues to deal with

A total lack of awareness of what veterinarians do A general perception that veterinarians are doctors of

pets There is a perceived low status of the profession in

society The income of veterinarians, be they in private of public

practice, does not compare favourably with those of the professions

The working hours of veterinarians are long and the work is physical

Specific issues to deal with

The training period is long and the programme is expensive

The programme is difficult and the volume of material overwhelming

There are perceptions that the University of Pretoria imposes special restrictions to limit access to black students

Specific issues to deal with There is a perception that the University of

Pretoria remains an exclusively white, Afrikaans university

There is a perception that the environment on the Onderstepoort campus is foreign and does not cater for the needs of black students

There are perceptions that there may be elements of racism on the Onderstepoort campus that make life difficult for the black students

Veterinary specialization

Postgraduate programmes and specialization

There is a lack of adequate post-graduate programmes in certain fields of activity

Areas needed by Government to fulfil its needs and obligations

International criteria pertaining to certification

Proposed actions

(Recruitment strategy document: Dept of Agriculture and Land Affairs)

Proposed actions

Create an integrated and fully functional national state veterinary service

Develop a marketing plan Create awareness Develop a comprehensive organizational

diagram outlining the full complement of required staff

Proposed actions

Develop a financial plan Develop and implement a suitable

recruitment programme Attend to the needs of transformation Attend to the needs of Government Consider the possibility of attracting trained

veterinarians from SADC countries and elsewhere in Africa

Proposed actions

Consider utilising veterinarians already retired to act as mentors

Facilitate student recruitment from the designated groups

Facilitate the development and implementation of suitable formal training programmes

Proposed actions

Recruit suitable employees Improve levels of training Develop and implement a retention strategy Improve working conditions Develop adequate infrastructure

commensurate with the expected levels of activity and within the context of accreditation and international quality control requirements

Proposed actions

Liaise with role players Facilitate adequate and appropriate

training Facilitate adaptation of formal training

programmes Ensure financial security and sustainability

Sustainability of the Faculty of Veterinary Science Recognition that it is the only faculty of its

kind in SA Recognition of its relevance Recognition of its strategic importance for

the country Recognition of its vulnerability Recognition of its financial insecurity

Financial issues

INCOME

Subsidy (old SAPSE formula) R35,162 m

Tuition fees R7,214 m

Own income R6,577 m

Total Income R48,953 m

Income and Expenditure

Faculty of Veterinary Science for 2001

EXPENDITURE R (2001)m

Remuneration of staff C1 Instruction and research staffC2 Administrative staffC3 Service workers

R29,125 mR18,189 mR 3,552 m

Sub total: Staff costs R50,866 m

Expenditure on supplies (services, small capital items, research allocation, etc)

R13,508 m

Sub total: Direct cost R64,374 m

Overhead costs of Faculty R27,172 m

Total expenditure R91,546 m

Deficit [Expenditure less income] before ad hoc allocation (DoE)

(R42,593 m)

Ad hoc allocation (DoE) R16,500 m

Deficit [Expenditure less income] after ad hoc allocation (DoE)

(R26,093 m)

Comparison of Subsidy Generated for 2003 and 2004

Faculty2003 2004 Diff Diff %

R’000 R’000 R’000 R’000

Economic and Management Sciences

92 500 103 532 11 032 11,9%

Humanities 64 077 90 550 26 473 41,3%

Education 67 780 65 744 (2 036) -3,0%

Law 34 565 36 202 1 637 4,7%

Theology 12 272 27 166 14 894 121,0%

EBIT* 169 334 118 402 (50 932) -30,0%

Natural and Agricultural 130 791 138 962 8 171 7,4%

Health Sciences 124 218 116 859 (7 359) -5,9%

Veterinary Science 51 103 39 551 (11 552) -22,6%

Total 746 640 736 968 (9 672) -1,3%

EXPENDITURE R (2004)m

Remuneration of staff C1 Instruction and research staffC2 Administrative staffC3 Service workers

R33,033 mR25,611 mR 4,598 m

Sub total: Staff costs R63,242 m

Expenditure on supplies (services, small capital items, research allocation, etc)

R20,384 m

Sub total: Direct cost R83,626 m

Overhead costs of Faculty R27,224 m

Total Expenditure R110,850 m

Faculty of Veterinary Science: Actual income and expenditure for 2004

INCOME

Subsidy (old SAPSE formula) R39,550 m

Tuition fees R11,766 m

Own income R7,526 m

Total income R58,842 m

Deficit (Expenditure less income) before ad hoc allocation (DoE)

(R52,008 m)

Ad hoc allocation (DoE) 0

Deficit (Expenditure less income) after ad hoc allocation (DoE)

(R52,008 m)

Comparative cost of training of health professionals per student for 2002/2003 (Gauteng)

Programme Cost to UPR

Additional funding for training

(Prov./National)R

Total cost of training

R

Medicine 71 313 144,099 215 412

Dentistry 111 623 209,800 321 423

Veterinary 194 021 0 194 021

Laboratories/Units

Income (R)Operating

expenses(R)

Salaries (R) Overheads (R)Total

Expenditure (R) Shortfall (R)

Tropical Diseases labs

285,890 428,487 2,597,650 678,641 3,704,778 3,418,888

Clinical Pathology 364,144 437,215 835,697 716,020 1,988,932 1,624,789

Paraclinical Sciences

309,872 363,808 979,810 893,145 2,236,763 1,926,891

Production Animal Studies

1,996,800 1,628,736 847,698 634,278 3,110,712 1,113,912

Electron Microscopy

26,824 139,113 441,895 300,189 881,197 854,373

In vitro Fertilisation 1,304 12,842 63,206 317,140 393,188 391,8844

RIA 146,487 147,834 239,645 317,140 704,619 558,132

Subtotal 3,153,012 3,149,314 6,207,850 3,839,600 13,196,764 10,043,752

OVAH1 5,703,524 5,989,822 9,611,272 3,902,814 19,503,908 13,800384

CACS2 0 0 4,432,214 1,432,041 5,864,255 5,864,255

PAS3 0 0 2,360,349 1,268,559 3,628,908 3,628,909

Subtotal 5,703,524 5,898,822 16,403,835 6,603,414 28,906,071 23,293,548

OTAU 203,000 423,888 22,754,018 1,381,347 24,559,253 4,356,253

Buildings 0 0 0 1,663,435 1,663,435 1,663,435

Subtotal 203,000 423,888 2,754,018 3,044,781 6,222,687 6,019,687

Total 9,059,536 9,563,024 25,365,703 13,487,794 48,416,521 39,356,985

Recapitalization

The veterinary academic hospital was extensively upgraded in 1992

During the 13 years since this upgrading, the hospital equipment and equipment in research and diagnostic laboratories have deteriorated

Recapitalization needed for the: Veterinary academic hospital, Ambulatory and outpatient clinics, Herd health, and Diagnostic support and research laboratories

The cost of recapitalization is estimated to be in the region of R64,8m

PROPOSALS

It is proposed that the Department of Education consider:

Adapting the New Funding Framework to facilitate a special subsidy allocation to defray the enormous cost connected with The administration, Maintenance and operation of a veterinary academic hospital

complex, Research and diagnostic support laboratories, and The animal farm (OTAU)

PROPOSALS

Enter into negotiations with the National Department of Agriculture and the Department of Science and Technology to

Explore possible alternative sources of financing for those components of the

Veterinary academic hospital at Onderstepoort, e.g. the large animal component, and the

Research and diagnostic support laboratories Farm animal facility

PROPOSALS

Possible alternatives of financing the pressing need for refurbishing the theatres, wards, instruments, apparatus, and allied support laboratories in the veterinary academic hospital, and

Allocating a special grant for this purpose

The future of Veterinary Science in SA

Critical decisions to be made Relevance Funding National and provincial structures Post establishment Recognition of specialization Globalization and regionalization