Whasa
Conference in Johannesburg

WHASA was born with the aims of promoting the advancement and education of wound management at all levels of care.
We continue to strive towards the publication of original research of importance to specialists allied to wound care, general practitioners and nursing and allied professions.
In May 2008 WHASA held its 2nd International Multidisciplinary Wound Healing Conference at the Indaba conference centre in Fourways.

The Wound Healing Association of Southern Africa (WHASA) is a multidisciplinary organization incorporating a team approach towards wound healing. We intend becoming the primary resource for healthcare professionals to foster research and education while advancing wound management. The wound care industry in South Africa took the initiative and brought a group of general and plastic surgeons together to form a new interest group. WHASA was born with the aims of promoting the advancement and education of wound management at all levels of care. A formal structure was created to converge the fragmented local wound care fraternity into a cohesive body that would be able to lobby for wound care and its interests in Southern Africa. During December an Interim Steering Committee was formed to guide the process towards the formation of this formal joint venture. The first unified multi-disciplinary Executive Committee was elected under the leadership of Dr. Frans Cronje. The new multi-disciplinary EXCO was elected under the leadership of Sr. Liezl Naude with Dr. Gregory Weir as the President-elect. We also took part in a bid presentation to host the next WUWHS meeting in The following committees operate in accordance with the WHASA constitution. Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo with a long experience in the field of surgery, he was awarded his first degree in Medicine at the University of Kinshasa in 1982, before specialised in General Surgery and obtained a postgraduate degree in 1988 at the same University. He was given academic responsibilities as a consultant at the academic hospital, known as Cliniques Universitaires de Kinshasa, under the Faculty of Medicine until 1990 when he decided to immigrate to South Africa. As a medical professional, Dr Balenda was assigned to manage general surgery at Jane Furse Regional Hospital in Limpopo, at Odi Community Hospital in North West Province, then at Garankuwa Hospital, Tertiary level attached to the Medical University of South Africa in Gauteng. He also accepted to offer further medical services as Clinical Manager in the Public sector by supporting the Community health service at Far East Rand Hospital Gauteng since Dr Balenda is currently busy with his second postgraduate IIWCC programme through the University of Toronto, Canada, in conjunction with the University of Stellenbosch. He is also the recipient of several training workshop certificates in advanced wound cares and reconstructive surgery and has also been invited as Guest and Key speaker on several occasions in Health related seminars and workshops. He delivers lectures on his experience in advance wound care and healing. Mariette is an advanced wound care practitioner in private practice (Wounds on Wheels) and also a wound care consultant at numerous institutions and hospitals. Mariette has presented numerous wound care training sessions, assists with workshops and is a part time lecturer (wound Care) at the university of the Free State. She is also a member of the faculty of IIWCC at the University of Toronto. Patria du Plooy studied at the Andrew Fleming Nurses College in Zimbabwe and qualified with a Diploma in Nursing as a Registered Nurse in In 1986 she obtained a diploma in Midwifery, she obtained a certificate in Neonatology from the University of Pretoria in 1994, and a Certificate in Pharmacology from the university of Witwatersrand in 2004.