Pretoria, South Africa —From 4–16 November, the South African Burns Society hosted its annual conference in Pretoria under the theme “Blooming Together.” The event brought together local and international experts, creating a space to share knowledge, confront challenges, and celebrate the power of collaborative care.

Facing Challenges, Sharing Solutions

Burn care in South Africa continues to face significant hurdles — limited capacity, unequal access, and complex clinical realities. Yet, the conference reminded us that progress is possible when professionals across disciplines come together. International speakers from Queensland, Australia joined South African leaders such as Prof. Adelin Muganza, Director of the Burns Unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, and Dr. Nikki Allorto, who manages a burns service in Pietermaritzburg. Through their leadership & experience in burns care they were able to offer practical guidance to healthcare practitioners working in diverse and often difficult settings.

Proudly Representing Our Team

Among the many highlights, we were especially proud to see our colleague Clare Davis take the stage. Clare, Lecturer and Instructional Design Lead, presented “Upskilling Healthcare Professionals to Better Assess and Care for Paediatric Burns.” Her talk introduced the Africa-wide launch of the Essentials of Paediatric Burns Care course, part of the Strengthening Paediatric Burns Care project. 

Other Inspiring Contributions

The programme was rich with multidisciplinary perspectives:

• Mereille Pursaid, occupational therapist at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital, spoke on “The Space Between the Scalpel and the Splint: Where Collaboration Heals.”

• Sharne Rheeder, speech-language therapist at Netcare Milpark Hospital, presented “The Role of Speech Therapy in Burns Rehabilitation,” highlighting swallowing, communication, and quality of life.

• The final day featured a thought-provoking session on ethics in burn injury care, followed by Bianca Le Roux, emerging educational psychologist, who reminded us of the importance of wellbeing with her talk “Healing the Healer: The Wellbeing of Burn Care.”

Leaving Inspired

The 2025 South African Burns Conference reaffirmed that burn care is about more than clinical expertise; it is about collaboration, compassion, and the shared determination to achieve the best outcomes for burn survivors. Truly, we are Blooming Together.