6 minute read
Health Sciences
University of Pretoria students prove science and rap music rock
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By Prim Gower
Move over Jay Z, Drake, and Eminem—and make way for University of Pretoria (UP) student Rostum Ogbuehi (Ross the Boss), the star of a music video promoting vaccination against the COVID-19 virus.
This fifth-year Faculty of Health Sciences medical student features in a catchy rap video that dispels myths about getting vaccinated. The video has had at least 25 000 views on YouTube and Instagram, and the Dean of the Faculty, Prof Tiaan de Jager, initiated the idea.
Ogbuehi says that through the Faculty’s social media crew, Louis Cloete Productions, ‘the Dean reached out to me to compose a song and a video to aid with the promotion of vaccination.’
‘I saw the importance of it and decided to go ahead with the project, and I must say, I am pleased with the outcome,’ Prof De Jager says.
Ogbuehi crafted the lyrics on information he received from UP’s acting Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Prof Veronica Ueckermann. ‘We have seen a low uptake in people getting vaccinated,’ Prof De Jager says. ‘This is concerning, as we know that COVID-19 vaccines reduce the risk of people getting the virus and can reduce the risk of spreading it. We were also one of the first Faculty of Health Sciences to open a vaccination site on campus. I believe we must serve the UP community [staff and students] and ensure everybody has easy access to the COVID-19 vaccine.
I understand the power of rap songs and that they can reach different age groups. I am very proud of our talented students who agreed to compose this unique rap song and contribute to the national and international drive to get people vaccinated.’
Other students who feature in the video are Vincent Mathenjwa (medicine), Reatlegile Mangope (oral hygiene), and Tsholofelo Mphahlele (medicine). Ogbuehi took the footage on Prinshof Campus, at the Basic Medical Sciences Building, and in the Tswelopele lecture theatre complex. The song is based on a Drake-type beat that he had stumbled across on YouTube. ‘I really loved the beat and asked my brother Comrade Junior to remake it, but with some slight alterations to make it unique to me. I would say the song borders on hip-hop and rap, though it has a trap feel to it.’ Ogbuehi says that he believed listeners would connect better with him through a visual representation of the song. ’The song alone is good by itself. But the icing on the cake was filming the music video. People need to see who the guy is telling them to be vaccinated. Ultimately, I am trying to aid in the promotion of vaccinating through the University.’
Ogbuehi’s music journey began when he was in Grade 10, when another of his brothers, Dawins, introduced him to the world of hip-hop. ‘Since then, I’ve been devoted to the game of music,’ Ogbuehi says. He explains that this is not his first collaboration with Prof De Jager and that he approached the Dean with a song that he had written and recorded titled ‘2nd Year’s Guide’ in his second year. He felt like the second year was one of the most difficult years, so he asked the Dean to promote the song and video. The Dean was eager and pleased to assist.
Prof De Jager explains that in its efforts to be innovative and creative, the Faculty hosts scientific webinars and has its HSUP TV on YouTube.
Contact information
Tel +27 (0)12 319 2911 Email healthapplications@up.ac.za
Health Sciences
Stevie the robot joins the intensive-care team at UPs Faculty of Health Sciences and Steve Biko Academic Hospital
By Mmane Boikanyo
The Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Pretoria (UP) and Steve Biko Academic Hospital have welcomed a mobile robot, Stevie. The robot will help improve the treatment of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic through instant live discussion and daily communication between German and South African intensive-care unit (ICU) teams.
Stevie works at Steve Biko Academic Hospital’s ICU and is named after Biko, one of the most prominent leaders during South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle. Stevie will be vital in allowing for a bedside ward round attended by ICU teams across the globe. According to Prof Tiaan de Jager, Dean of UP’s Faculty of Health Sciences, ‘telemedicine plays a crucial role in encouraging long-distance patient and clinician care. COVID-19 has been a massive disruptor in society, especially in the healthcare sector.’
COVID-19 has inspired the healthcare sector to rethink its current systems and be more efficient, he said. This initiative is an interdisciplinary global telemedical collaboration between the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Department of Critical Care at Steve Biko Academic Hospital, the Enhanced Recovery after Intensive Care (ERIC)-Tele ICU at Charité Medical University, Berlin, and the Robert Koch Institute.
‘The Faculty takes pride in responding to the demands of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR). They can aid patient care, enhance teaching and learning experience for students, and support the University in conducting important research, thus leaving a positive impact on society,’ Prof de Jager said. They are grateful to their collaborators and colleagues for ensuring that telemedicine can take centre stage and help combat COVID-19.
The gender-neutral Stevie is the second robot to be employed by UP, following Libby, the robotic library assistant who arrived in 2019. According to Prof Fathima Paruk, academic and clinical Head of the Department of Critical Care at UP and Steve Biko Academic Hospital, Stevie is now officially the much-adored baby of their ICU team and brings excitement throughout the hospital. Stevie has a privacy handset, a live phone to aid confidential communication during ward rounds,
Stevie the robot
a stethoscope port that can remotely relay information while a patient is being examined, and it enables visualisation of detail for close-up diagnosis and patient care oversight with high-definition pantilt-zoom cameras.
‘ICU specialists and their teams based in Germany at the CU and RKI will join the South African ICU team in person through the robot’s digital screen,’ Prof Paruk said. ‘Both the SA and German teams, led by ICU specialists, will be able to interact virtually, which will enable the team from Germany to see the patient, look at the ICU monitors, and engage in discussions with patients. The ward round will involve discussing the medical condition and include a management plan over a secure line.’
Prof Paruk added that they would use Stevie to benefit all ICU patients, including COVID-19 patients. They will use Stevie to exchange ideas for specialist training, global collaborations, webinars, educational workshops, especially for highly selective or niche specialities in critical care. Specialists will also be able to advise and conduct a bedside procedure remotely. Prof Paruk explained that in the context of clinical healthcare medicine, evidence garnered from this collaboration has the potential to inform and shape future practices in South Africa’s local criticalcare setting, ‘considering that we struggle with a shortage of intensivists and ICU beds in South Africa.’
According to Dr Evgeniya Boklage, Country Relations Officer for the Centre for International Health Protection at the Robert Koch Insitute, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that telemedicine is the future. ‘We are happy as the Robert Koch Institute continues to support our clinical partners at the Charité Medical University to help connect them with their colleagues at the University of Pretoria. We look forward to exchanging experiences because each country has a different reality, bringing forth various opportunities to learn from one another and improve patients’ lives.’
Contact information
Tel +27 (0)12 319 2911 Email healthapplications@up.ac.za
