As I have seen it: delivered at the ASSA-SAGES Conference, Sun City, 9-12 August 2007.

36 Being an African, I have lived with uncertainty all my life. Our continent provides an ever-changing challenge. Being born an African destines you to remain an African. Some of us have attempted to challenge this; most have had only limited success in escaping Africa’s grasp. In Africa things are different; some say this is fun, others are upset by it. The threats that face our profession here are well known to you and are not unique to our continent. The recently held Board of Health Funders Conference during which the country’s medical schemes spoke out confirms this. It was stated that health care funding is in a parlous state and that the knives were out for medical aid cheats. So too with us. Surgeons as a profession have become devalued, and our work is seen as a market commodity.