Unregistered veterinary and para-veterinary workers pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of South Africa’s animals, as well as to food security. To counter this worrying trend, the South African Veterinary Council (SAVC) is rolling out a dedicated whistle-blowing app from 1 June 2023 to encourage the public to come forward and report transgressors.
Project Compliance aims to educate the public and encourage them to tip off the SAVC with any evidence of people falsely purporting to be veterinary or para-veterinary professionals, as well as qualified professionals who are practising despite not being registered with the regulatory body.
SAVC Director of Legal Affairs Dinamarie Stoltz says the growing incidence of unregistered individuals delivering veterinary and para-veterinary services – not just laypersons but also professionals who have been removed from the SAVC register due to the non-payment of their annual maintenance fees, and those working from unregistered premises – is a cause for concern.
“It also sometimes happens that a veterinary facility, though registered with the SAVC, does not comply with the minimum standards for that category of facility. It is not uncommon for this to happen, since all veterinary facilities are only inspected once in a six-year cycle,” she says.
In response to the danger posed by this state of affairs, the SAVC is rolling out an 18-month public education and awareness campaign titled Project Compliance from 1 June 2023 to 30 September 2024. This includes the introduction of an app (which does not capture any user detail and therefore allows for anonymous tip-offs) to report alleged transgressions.
Project Compliance aims to deal with the following:
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Persons doing veterinary or para-veterinary work while not registered with the SAVC (this includes unqualified laypersons, as well as registrees whose registration has lapsed due to them not paying their annual maintenance fees)
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Veterinarians and para-veterinary professionals practising from a facility that is not registered with the SAVC
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Veterinary/para-veterinary facilities that are not compliant with the relevant rules
What can consumers of veterinary services do?
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Make sure the veterinarian or para-veterinary professional you are consulting is registered with the SAVC (a registration certificate is issued to each registered individual)
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Make sure the facility where the services are being rendered is registered with the SAVC by asking to see the certificate of compliance with minimum standards that is issued by the SAVC after a satisfactory inspection
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Check on the registers available on the SAVC website to establish whether the service provider and/or the facility is registered with the SAVC
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If in doubt, phone the SAVC directly at (012) 345-6360
How to report a transgression:
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Transgressions can be reported anonymously via the dedicated ExposeIT app
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The app will be monitored during business hours
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When a complaint is assessed, the complainant will be prompted to provide information that will establish the viability of the alleged transgression
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If sufficient evidence is submitted and the complaint is valid, it will be referred to the SAVC’s Legal Division and/or to its Inspectorate (XTND) for investigation
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If there is sufficient evidence to warrant it, the complaint will be referred for criminal prosecution, or for other punitive or disciplinary measures
Please note:
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Complaints of unprofessional conduct must still follow the normal process
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Hearsay evidence is not sufficient to successfully deal with complaints
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If a matter is reported anonymously via the app, no feedback will be given to the complainant regarding the outcome of the complaint
Please visit www.savc.org.za for further information.
