The Department of Ophthalmic Sciences marked World Sight Day with a range of activities aimed at highlighting the cause.

The day is observed on the second Thursday of October every year, and aims to focus global attention on vision impairment and blindness.

This year’s theme was Vision First.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 2.2 billion people globally have a vision impairment or blindness, of whom at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could be prevented or avoided.

Lecturer Prasidh Ramson said the Department had focused its activities for students on central vision loss.

“We arranged simulators (special glasses that mimic the eye condition of central vision loss). We got students to attempt to do simple activities like threading a needle, tying shoelaces, trying to navigate around the department and copying from the board while wearing the simulators to give them an idea of what it feels like if someone were to have that condition.”

They were also given the opportunity to reflect on what they would do as eye health professionals in their community or family to make vision a priority.

Angelique Hendricks, Head of the Department, encouraged the students: “As future eye professionals, it’s important to recognise opportunities to promote eye health. It’s very important that we don’t sidestep our responsibility.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

It was a proud moment for nursing students when they received their training epaulettes during a recent ceremony on the Bellville campus.

Epaulettes are worn to indicate progress in terms of year levels of study. At the end of training the students qualify as professional nurses with a maroon epaulette and coloured bars indicating specialities.

Professor Karien Jooste, Head of the Department of Nursing Science, opened the ceremony with a message of welcome.

Senior Lecturer Dr Rugira Marie Modeste presented a keynote address and stated that the World Health Organization (WHO) had designated 2020 as the Year of the Nurse and the Midwife.

According to the WHO, this is to mark the bicentenary of the birth of the founder of modern nursing, Florence Nightingale, and to recognise the critical contribution nurses make to global health.

Modeste said the programmes in the Department of Nursing Science followed a person-centred approach and the epaulettes should be worn to remind students to be accountable to their nursing responsibilities.

Lecturer Suveena Singh said it was the first time the department had hosted such an event and epaulettes were issued to a total of 170 first and second-year students.

“The epaulettes make it easier for staff in hospitals to distinguish the students,” she said.

“When you decide to be a nurse it means you are devoting your life to caring for the community.”

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Department of Nursing Science kicked off the year on a high note by welcoming the first-ever cohort of students for the new Bachelor of Nursing programme.

Head of the Department, Prof Karien Jooste, said CPUT was one of the first institutions in the country to receive approval from the SA Nursing Council to offer the new four-year degree programme.

“The new programme is focused on general nursing and midwifery with a primary healthcare approach. We will follow a person-centred approach, not just focusing on the patient but also the nurse who needs to empower and manage him or herself in order to treat the patient.”

The first cohort consists of sixty students and an intensive selection process, including interviews, was followed.
Jooste said the Department has also been strengthened with the appointment of five new staff members.

In addition, the Department has also received permission to offer a number of short courses

“We are very excited that we are able to start the new programme in 2020, which has been designated the Year of the Nurse and Midwife by the World Health Organization,” said Jooste.

Written by Ilse Fredericks
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr Terrence Carter, Deputy Director-General at the National Department of Health, congratulated the graduates of the Health and Wellness Sciences for formally joining the ranks of the medical profession.

Addressing last night’s graduation ceremony as a guest speaker at the Bellville Campus, Carter said being a health worker is a unique privilege to serve humanity since many people still do not have access to basic health services.

He challenged the graduates to fulfil the World Health Organization’s declaration that recognizes the attainment of the highest level of health services as a human right.

 He told them that putting the interests of their patients first was a noble principle and encouraged them to strive to be the best they can be.

“Be the best of whatever you are, it is not by size that you win or fail,” he told the packed hall.

Graduates Abongile Nomafeje and Siphosonke Nothwala said the experience was life-changing for them.

“It feels like I am born again, because initially this looked impossible. It’s not about how fast it could happen, but the fact that it has happened eventually that excites me the most,” said Abongile.

“Despite the struggles at home and at school I managed to achieve this, it doesn’t feel like myself but as from tonight I know everything is possible,”said Siphosonke.

This morning hundreds of diplomas and degrees will be conferred to graduates in the Business Faculty and the ceremony will be addressed by Joel Dikgole, CEO of the Wholesale & Retail SETA as a guest speaker.  

Written by Kwanele Butana
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.