A symposium hosted by QASA, and accredited by the South African Medical Association (SAMA), was recently held in Johannesburg, where Professor Andrei Krassioukov, aka Dr K, one of the world’s leading specialists in rehabilitation medicine, did a presentation on bladder management in people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and afflictions.
Dr K led a panel of international and South African speakers who presented their clinical experience, bladder management guidelines, and health law to SCI individuals and medical aid advisors.
The purpose of the symposium was to educate those in decision-making roles regarding policy development and reimbursement by medical schemes, government, the Road Accident Fund (RAF) and Commissioner for Occupational Injuries on Duty (COID) as well as public and private hospital rehabilitation units.
A good mix of over 70 delegates attended what was considered to be the first of its kind to be held in South Africa, where many learned about the risks associated with bladder catheterisation techniques, such as urinary tract infections (UTIs) and how these can be reduced by using single-use catheters.
It was recommended that the decision to prescribe the use of single-use catheters needs to take into account specific individual conditions, as well as social and economic circumstances. The responsibility is on the medical practitioner to advise on all alternatives, benefits, risks and costs. The symposium concluded with consensus that policy makers, such as medical aids, should work with medical practitioners working in rehabilitation medicine and SCI, towards achieving the best possible outcomes for people with SCI.
