UCT Division of Family Medicine & Palliative Medicine

UCT Division of Family Medicine & Palliative Medicine Divisions of Family Medicine and Interdisciplinary Palliative Care & Medicine in UCT FaCE department

Family Medicine has been an independent Division in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine since 2001 and is involved in multidisciplinary community-based teaching, learning and research with a strong focus on primary care. Since 2022, we joined the Department of Family, Community and Emergency Care (FaCE). The new Division of Interdisciplinary Palliative Care & Medicine (IPCM) was also approved in 2021. The FaCE department consists of the Divisions of Family Medicine, IPCM, Emergency Medicine, the Primary Health Directorate, as well as Sports & Exercise Medicine (with Biokinetics). According to McWhinney & Freeman (2009), family physicians:

Are committed to the person rather than to a particular body of knowledge, group of diseases, or special technique;
Seek to understand the context of the illness;
See every contact with their patient as an opportunity for prevention or health education;
View the patients in their practice as a population at risk;
See themselves as part of a community-wide network of supportive and healthcare agencies;
Should ideally share the same habitat as their patients;
See patients in their homes;
Attach importance to the subjective aspects of medicine;
Manage resources.
[Reference: Textbook of Family Medicine: Ian R. McWhinney; Thomas Freeman (Third Edition) 2009 Oxford University Press pages 13-16.]


Teaching within the Division

Undergraduate programme:
Becoming a Doctor course which spans the second and third years of the curriculum. The course comprises of three strands which include Family Medicine, Clinical Skills and Languages (isiXhosa and Afrikaans). Eight week 4th year MBChB Primary Health Care block run jointly with other divisions in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine. Four week 6th year block which students spend at a Community Health Facility either in an urban or rural area and at a Hospice for the Palliative Care portion of their training. The discipline of Family Medicine was registered as a speciality in 2007 and we accepted our first intake of registrars into the MMed (Family Medicine) training programme in 2008. The registrars do their training at regional, secondary and district level facilities. We also offer a postgraduate diploma course and PhD programme in Family Medicine. The Division is involved in many individual and collaborative research projects. There is strong collaboration with all academic departments of Family Medicine in South Africa through the Education and Training Sub-Committee of the South African Academy of Family Physicians and the College of Family Physicians in the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa. It has established links with other African universities as well as with other international higher education institutions. Family practitioners in private practice also assist with the teaching programme.

06/11/2025

Innocent Besigye and Bob Mash were invited to write an article for the Africa Health Journal on “The current state and future of family medicine in Africa”. The photo shows key members of the family medicine community at the PRIMAFAMED meeting in Lusaka earlier this year. This article is now published and can be read athttps://africa-health.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/23-26-Family-Medicine.pdf

Professor Mosedi Namane’s journey from being one of UCT’s first black African medical graduates to a pioneer of communit...
06/11/2025

Professor Mosedi Namane’s journey from being one of UCT’s first black African medical graduates to a pioneer of community-rooted healthcare reflects a lifetime spent sowing into the lives of the people she serves.

Read more: https://qr.link/hSwCAK

Prof Mosedi Namane’s journey from being one of UCT’s first black African medical graduates to a pioneer of community-rooted healthcare reflects a lifetime spent sowing into the lives of the people she serves.

05/11/2025

We are immensely proud of you, Prof Sedi Namane and grateful for all your many inspirational contributions! [VIDEO] Professor Mosedi Namane, one of UCT's first Black African medical graduates (MBChB, 1990), has spent her career transforming medical education from the lecture hall to the heart of the community.

Now retiring after nearly four decades of service, Namane reflects on how she bridged the gap between academia and township health realities. Her leadership helped redefine UCT’s curriculum to align with South Africa’s primary healthcare model, planting the seeds for a more equitable health system.

Watch the full video: https://qr.link/mhHTS5

05/11/2025

[VIDEO] Professor Mosedi Namane, one of UCT's first Black African medical graduates (MBChB, 1990), has spent her career transforming medical education from the lecture hall to the heart of the community.

Now retiring after nearly four decades of service, Namane reflects on how she bridged the gap between academia and township health realities. Her leadership helped redefine UCT’s curriculum to align with South Africa’s primary healthcare model, planting the seeds for a more equitable health system.
Sedi NamaneUCT Faculty of Health Sciences
Watch the full video: https://qr.link/mhHTS5

Thank you to Graeme Dunbar, Jonathan Vaughan and the Victoria Hospital clinical leadership team for the opportunity to c...
01/11/2025

Thank you to Graeme Dunbar, Jonathan Vaughan and the Victoria Hospital clinical leadership team for the opportunity to connect around service and learning coordination across the ecosystem of primary care and specialist services on 30 October 2025. Looking forward to building on this conversation and shared commitment to quality of care for our communities.

Reflecting on a productive day of reviewing and planning for our 6th year Family Medicine curriculum aimed at equipping ...
29/10/2025

Reflecting on a productive day of reviewing and planning for our 6th year Family Medicine curriculum aimed at equipping the next generation of primary care clinicians. Thank you to our team for their dedication to high-quality learning and valuable contributions to ensure meaningful and socially accountable education.



UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Family, Community and Emergency Care Western Cape Government Health and Wellness

Sheron Tanya Forgus, Levern Murphy and Klaus Von Pressentin represented our division during the strategic planning...
24/10/2025



Sheron Tanya Forgus, Levern Murphy and Klaus Von Pressentin represented our division during the strategic planning of the SUFPREN collaboration (Stellenbosch University-University of Cape Town Family Physician Research Network).

Thanks for the warm welcome and great engagement, Division of Family Medicine and Primary Care, Stellenbosch University!

Thanks for having us 🙏 Sheron Tanya Forgus, Levern Murphy and Klaus Von Pressentin represented our division during the s...
24/10/2025

Thanks for having us 🙏 Sheron Tanya Forgus, Levern Murphy and Klaus Von Pressentin represented our division during the strategic planning of the SUFPREN collaboration (Stellenbosch University-University of Cape Town Family Physician Research Network).

What an incredible day at the GP Masterclass on 18 October 2025! 🎉A heartfelt thank you to our speakers for delivering s...
24/10/2025

What an incredible day at the GP Masterclass on 18 October 2025! 🎉

A heartfelt thank you to our speakers for delivering such impactful and deeply relevant sessions, and to all the delegates who brought energy, curiosity and meaningful engagement to every discussion. Your active participation truly enriched the conversations around essential mental healthcare topics.

A special shout-out to our speakers who not only presented but also contributed as engaged participants throughout multiple sessions — your dedication made this event even more meaningful. 🙌

✨ Stay tuned — we’re already looking ahead to future Masterclass events planned for 2026, and hope you’ll continue to support, attend, and spread the word within your practice communities.

Thank you to our participants and colleagues for being part of such a valuable and collaborative learning experience. Together, we’re advancing mental healthcare with purpose and passion. 💙



UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Family, Community and Emergency Care Western Cape Government Health and Wellness South African Academy of Family Physicians - SAAFP Goldilocks and The Bear

23/10/2025
23/10/2025

🟣 Did You Know?
Palliative care isn’t only for end-of-life - it’s for any stage of a serious illness.

It’s not just about hospice or final moments - it’s about relieving pain, managing symptoms, and improving quality of life for patients and their families. 🌿

Whether someone is getting treatment, living with a chronic condition, or facing tough decisions, palliative care offers comfort, guidance, and hope.

💬 It’s not about giving up - it’s about living as well as possible, for as long as possible. ✨

📸 Pictured: GSH’s incredible Palliative Care team - bringing comfort, compassion, and dignity to every patient they serve.

Address

Division Of Family Medicine, Department Of Family, Community And Emergency Care (FaCE), Falmouth Building (2nd Floor, Entrance 5), Faculty Of Health Sciences, University Of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Cape
Observatory
7925

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00
Thursday 09:00 - 17:00
Friday 09:00 - 17:00

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