Prof Honey Mabuza, the newly elected President of the College of Family Physicians, pledges to steer the noble profession with integrity and transparency to enable it to reach a higher level. This is the legacy that he wishes to leave, after his three-year term of office, ends in 2023.
Elected through a secret ballot process, by family physicians, Prof Mabuza brings health care expertise and a wealth of experience in health care to the profession. He completed Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor Surgery (MBChB) and a Master’s degree in Family Medicine (M Fam Med), at SMU.
He has a wealth of experience as a clinician, working at the Dr George Mukhari Academic Hospital and (DGMAH) and a senior lecturer at SMU. Not satisfied with healing the bodily ills and aches, Mabuza also administers to the spiritual needs as a pastor during the weekends. He is a holder of Bachelor of Theology degree (BTh) obtained from UNISA.
“I will put what I am gifted with, on the table, and therefore, uniquely, contribute in the wellness and moving the college from strength to strength” he pledges. Prof Mabuza will preside over a twelve-member council which was elected by family physicians. The twelve then elect a three-member executive, namely, the president, the secretary and the senator. His peers found him worthy of their votes, for which he is eternally grateful.
Among others, his duties involve representing the interests of family physicians at the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA), which is an umbrella body of all speciality colleges, in SA. He will also convene meetings of the college council at least once a year, acts as an adviser to the President CMSA, Senate and CMSA Officers, provide an annual college report for publication in the CMSA platforms and revise the panel of examiners of the college examinations triennially, for the guidance of the Examinations and Credentials Committee.
Family medicine, which is considered a cornerstone of primary health care, is a medical speciality that is dedicated to the provision of comprehensive health care to all people, of all ages.
He takes the torch of leadership at a very challenging time when the whole world is grappling with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. He is mindful of this and other challenges in the health care industry. He is however unfazed by these challenges. “My leadership will not be a one man show”, as I have a collective of leaders in their own right whose opinions will be valued and that will go a long way to enable the college to overcome any challenges.
By Maditsi Matlala
