How young woman overcame hardships
Tsule now aims to specialise as cardiologist
The beginning of the journey to become a medical doctor was not easy for Nobuntu Tsule.
From not having enough money to register for the first year in varsity to sometimes going for days without food, it was hard work and dedication that saw her through.
Her perseverance has paid off and now she is an intern medical doctor at Livingstone Hospital in Gqeberha (former Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape.
The 22-year-old doctor from Cofimvaba overcame a lot of obstacles on her journey as a medical student.
“I remember when I first enrolled at Nelson Mandela University in 2015, I did not have enough money for my registration, not even to mention tuition fees. I was raised by my mother, a single parent to three children and she worked at a retail store. She could not afford to pay for my fees and take care of me and my siblings,” she said.
Tsule said though her father was living somewhere else, he did not help with their upbringing and studies. In her first year she lived with a friend who was also studying medicine; her mentor helped to buy books for her.
Tsule said things got better in her second year as she managed to get a bursary through the help of the King Sabata Dalindyebo local municipality.
“I managed to get accommodation and mentally I was doing well. In my third year, my mother stopped working but I managed to survive by God’s grace. In my fifth year I would go through some days with little or nothing to eat. The same year, my mother was admitted in hospital for the longest period. I made sure to pray and never lose focus.”
In her sixth year, she failed a module. She was also getting to know her father but then he died.
“It could have been easy for me to throw in the towel but deep down I knew what I wanted to achieve.
“I took all the challenges and put them to God. It has always been my dream to be a doctor because I had always wanted the best health for people around me,” she said.
Tsule said what she loves most about her profession is the dedication to save lives, to put a smile on patients’ faces and administer health services to communities as that helps her to understand how people interact and react to certain ailments.
She plans to specialise as a cardiologist in future.
“Careers in medicine are reachable if you look beyond the odds. With hard work, dedication, discipline and God by your side, it is possible.”