Saving lives through emergency medicine
WITH a lifelong dream to save lives, Dr Shivani Pillay, formerly of KwaDukuza, has qualified as a specialist physician in emergency medicine.
Pillay, 34, was the first of three doctors in South Africa to be awarded the bursary via the Wits division of emergency medicine in partnership with the North West Department of Health.
The bursary allowed Pillay to study through the Wits emergency medicine registrar programme funded by the Netcare Foundation.
The aim of the programme is to build health-care expertise and capacity in the country.
The qualified specialists will now apply their skills in the public sector.
As the first doctor to complete the qualification through the initiative, Pillay recently moved to the North West from Joburg and is an emergency specialist at the Klerksdorp Tshepong Hospital Complex.
Mande Toubkin, Netcare’s general manager of emergency, trauma, transplant and corporate social investment, said Pillay would be responsible for setting up the hospital's emergency department.
She said Pillay had served the community during her specialist training through the programme and this provided her with invaluable experience in emergency departments at public and private sector hospitals.
Pillay said she was grateful for the opportunity to help improve and expand the practice of emergency medicine in the North West province.
For Pillay, being a doctor was all she ever wanted.
“I was fascinated by the art of medicine and I was passionate about connecting with people and improving their lives, physically and emotionally.”
She fulfilled her dream by qualifying as a doctor. It was her work in the army and at a hospital that steered her towards emergency medicine.
“I matriculated at Stanger Manor Secondary School. I then studied medicine at UCT.”
She went on to complete her internship at Ngwelezane Hospital in Empangeni and thereafter worked at the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
“It was while at Ngwelezane Hospital and the SANDF that my passion for emergency medicine developed. I was then awarded the Netcare Foundation bursary to specialise in emergency medicine. I studied for four years before I obtained the post-graduate specialist qualification.”
She said emergency medicine was a dynamic field that focused on patients of all ages, who are injured or acutely ill, and often present with life-threatening emergencies.
Pillay said that over the years, her parents made many sacrifices and instilled in her the values and independence she needed to study medicine and pursue her career.
“And my wonderful husband provided unwavering support. He stood by me through a stressful and demanding career. I also owe a lot to my teachers, mentors and the stalwarts of emergency medicine that I was privileged to be taught by and who have moulded me into the doctor I am today.”
She said being a doctor brought with it its own challenges. Though she found it difficult at times to maintain balance, particularly with the long working hours and shift work, she developed a system that helped.
“What I have found useful, is to maintain a solid support structure around me. This includes my husband and closest friends and family. I also try to make a little time for myself every day to reflect on things that are important to me.”
When she is not working, Pillay enjoys reading and travelling.
She said through the year-long pandemic, South Africans were resilient and managed to adapt during unprecedented times.
Dr Senzeni Kente and one other doctor were awarded a bursary but have not yet qualified.