Update South Africa 09-12-22
Good morning, South African chiropractors. My name is Bharon Hoag. I am the Executive Director of the Chiropractic Defense Council, coming to you today, September 12th, 2022, for your weekly update.
We have some good news out of New Zealand. Today we’re expecting an announcement where they’re lifting the mandates in New Zealand. Last week I shared with you that Queensland, one of the states in Australia, lifted its mandate. So we’re starting to see these things fall, which is very great news. We’re now taking on kind of the abuse that has happened up to this point, and making sure that we’re rectifying the damage that’s been done to these providers in these communities because of these unjustified mandates, but at least the fear for these providers to continue to practice.
I want you to understand, that we talk a lot about the history of chiropractic. And back in the ’40s and ’50s, and ’60s, I suppose, as well, where chiropractors were being thrown in jail for practicing without a license, and how strong those people were, well, this has been happening in Australia and New Zealand, where they’ve been practicing against the law of the land, being very threatened by very high fines, being thrown in jail, things of that nature. I’m so proud of our profession for standing up and continuing to provide the services necessary, even in the face of opposition. We’re honored to be an organization to stand behind them and protect them and allow them to keep doing that.
I was just meeting with our team, and of the 656 cases that we’ve taken on, we’ve won every single one of them. So we’re 656 and 0, and it’s a great feeling. Part of that is because we’re very specific about the kind of cases we take on, but nonetheless, those are providers that have been threatened to be forced out of their businesses, and we’re very proud of that work. And we’re continuing to do that.
I shared with you a few weeks ago that we’re really going to start looking to do some things in South Africa. And part of what I was talking about was creating a framework, looking at how your profession is governed, and the laws and rules that allow you to operate. We’re digging into those things and making sure that you have the best environment possible to tell the story of chiropractic.
And so our resources are slowly reducing, well, our need for resources is reducing for these battles, because the mandates are going away. We’re starting to put those into infrastructure, really looking and making sure that our chiropractors have the ability to continue to move forward and to tell the story. Remember, our ultimate goal as OneChiropractic, which is the organization that the Chiropractic Defense Council operates under, is to make chiropractic the number one healthcare choice in the world.
We believe doing that has a mechanism of protection, but it also has a mechanism of advocating and advancing. And so that’s exactly what we want to do in South Africa, is strengthen the relationships, work with the proper groups, associations, doctors, whoever it is in your country, to make sure that we’re strengthening our footprint, that we’re not just pawn of the healthcare system, which is typically the case. That’s where you come in, and you share with your colleagues who we are and what we’re doing so we can grow our influence in South Africa, for the betterment of our profession.
Those are things that are coming. I’ll give you more information as we start digging into that. Just know that good things are happening across the country. Our profession will rise. It will be stronger. It is stronger than before the pandemic, and we’re going to continue to make sure that we’re capitalizing on those opportunities. We love you. Have an incredible week this week. Never stop telling the story of chiropractic. And know that we’ve got your back all the way through. We love you. God bless you. (This is a computer-generated transcript. Please excuse any errors.)
