Group member interview: The South African Interventional Society

February 15, 2024

CIRSE is thrilled to welcome The South African Interventional Radiology Society (SAINTS) as our newest group member. We spoke to the  SAINTS Chairperson, Dr. Gareth Bydawell, to learn more about the society and IR in South Africa.

CIRSE: SAINTS is CIRSE’s newest group member – can you tell us about the history of your society?

Bydawell: The South African Interventional Radiology Society (SAINTS) is a relatively young society, officially established in 2017. The inaugural president of the society was Prof. Coert De Vries, followed by Dr. Charles Sanyika, both pioneers of IR in South Africa. My EXCO members and I have recently been given the honour of taking the leadership forward.

Our agenda is to promote IR access for South African healthcare, arrange regular academic programmes for our members, and to strengthen relationships with other international IR societies.

The successful hosting of events like the recent SAFIRE meeting in Cape Town further demonstrates the society’s commitment to advancing knowledge and collaboration in the field.

CIRSE: Why did SAINTS decide to become a group member this year? Can you tell us what CIRSE initiatives you and your members are involved in/hope to become involved in?

Bydawell: As a young enthusiastic society, we are always looking to engage with more established international Societies like CIRSE and benefit immensely from joint initiatives. The group membership offers us valuable exposure to CIRSE’s educational platforms, the CVIR journal, and opportunities to attend the annual meeting.

SAINTS members have been encouraged by CIRSE to attend and present topics at the annual meeting and on a personal basis, I have the honour of being invited to join the CVIR editoral board as a regional editor for Sub Saharan Africa.

CIRSE: What is the training scheme for medical students or radiologists who want to become IRs in South Africa? 

Bydawell: Medical students will have some exposure to radiology and IR during their specialty rotations, however, we would like to increase this soon.

One of our biggest challenges is the lack of fellowship training in South Africa. There are some plans in place to start an IR programme in the Government sector, and there are potential initiatives to start a joint private-public fellowship programme with collaboration with the key IR industry companies.

Many of our young radiologists travel overseas to join fellowship programmes in USA, Canada, UK and Australia, and we are also very fortunate to be supported by numerous experienced IR proctors who assist with new interventional procedures in South Africa.

In total there are approximately 70 practising IR’s in South Africa, although the majority of these doctors will be based in the private healthcare system.

CIRSE: How does SAINTS collaborate with other IR societies on regional and global levels?

Bydawell: SAINTS collaborates with SAFIRE in terms of IR across Africa, PAIRS in the North Africa and Middle East region, CIRSE in Europe and SIR in USA. We are currently in contact with CAIR to set up links with the Canadian IR Society.

CIRSE: What are the current challenges of IR in South Africa?

Bydawell: The lack of fellowship training has already been mentioned, but additional challenges include the divided public-private healthcare system in South Africa (where a large proportion of the population is served by an overburdened government-based healthcare system) and economic and logistical challenges about providing IR services in Southern Africa.

CIRSE: What are your hopes the future with regards to the collaboration between SAINTS and CIRSE?

Bydawell: SAINTS is a relatively young society, and our hope is that the collaboration with CIRSE will help us to continue to grow and generate momentum for the future. The affiliation with CIRSE will also inspire young radiologists and IR doctors to thrive in this exciting and fast-growing subspecialty.