President’s report

It has been my privilege to serve as your president for the last 2 years, at the outset my sincere thanks to the executive committee and to Marge Greyling our secretariat for all their help and advice.

The last year has been rather exciting with SAPPF winning the case for annulment of the NRPL, the future is in our hands and active participation by VASSA in the private practice matters will certainly help in us vascular surgeons being adequately compensated. VASSA has got involved in the drawing up of PMB definitions , Drs Tunnicliffe, Le roux and Weir have started the process and will represent VASSA .

The training of vascular fellows was fully thrashed out at EXCO in January and appropriate changes in exam format are being addressed. The ultrasound course for vascular fellows is being developed and in the next 3 months a full course will be offered to them.

BARD has established an exchange programme with Leuven University in Belgium and we will after this meeting decide on the candidate.

Endovascular training in academic institutions is still a problem due to underfunding and inadequate facilities and VASSA is looking at private practice /academic partnership to train our fellows adequately.

The World Federation of Vascular Societies(WFVS) has grown from strength to strength and our representation has been a strong one thanks to Prof Veller for being the secretariat. VASSA will need to continue our participation and the EXCO will decide on the candidate to represent us.

The medical industry which has supported us for so many years which we immensely appreciate and value have now been given a place on the EXCO and I am proud to announce that Seumas Wishart is the first representative of the medical industry , he was democratically elected by our corporate members and will serve for 2 years on the EXCO.

We have also established an open policy with our corporate members and a two way communication system has been successfully carried out at our EXCO jamboree in January 2010.We have also established ethical codes for our medical industry partners in the training of non-vascular surgeons, this has been openly debated at EXCO and assurance from medical industry was given that training of non vascular surgeons was to be ethically done and under VASSA supervision.

I once again thank the society and its members for having asked me to serve as your president it has been a privilege and humbling experience I wish the next president Dr Philip Matley and the new EXCO well over their tenure . Talib Abdool-Carrim