Doctors beat the odds
Dora Nginza, Livingstone celebrate success
MOST of their colleagues thought they were crazy to try and specialise at a hospital with no university close by, almost no library facilities and extremely long working hours, but five Port Elizabeth specialists beat all these odds to pass their coveted board exams last week.
At Dora Nginza Hospital, Dr Quinton Blignaut and Dr Chris Yingwani passed their board exams to become specialist gynaecologists and obstetricians – and the first fellows trained at the hospital.
Dr Mafundo Mabenge, the head of the department of gynaecology and obstetrics, said with 150 babies arriving a week at the busy maternity unit, the only study time they could be together was at 6am.
He said he wished to single out Dr Danie Botha, who is in private practice in Port Elizabeth, who assisted him by taking his trainee specialists under his wing and teaching them the basics of infertility treatment.
“This is a great day for us,” Dr Bukelwa Mbulawa-Hans, the acting hospital manager, said.
“The community is so excited about this. These two doctors are our homegrown fellows.
“Our patients are people who have absolutely nothing and are extremely vulnerable. Conditions here are not always conducive but you persevered and achieved. I am so proud of you,” she told the new specialists.
Blignault, who grew up in Bethelsdorp and studied at Walter Sisulu University, said it was a long and tough journey for him.
“There were days when I wanted to give up. I had to sacrifice a lot of time with my family to achieve this and I am very proud.
“I want to say thank you to Dr Mabenge. He kept on pushing us,” he said.
Yingwani, from Nelspruit, also paid tribute to the nurses in the maternity unit, saying they had taught him a lot.
Dr Michael Walker, who obtained his diploma in obstetrics, was also congratulated by Hans and Mabenge.
The head of the department of paediatrics, Dr Lungile Pepeta, said it was remarkable for a fledgling academic programme, like the one started by Mabenge to produce two specialists who passed their exams first time.
At Livingstone Hospital, the department of medicine celebrated as two of its doctors passed their board exams as specialist physicians. Dr Tobisa Fodo, who is married and a mother of two, said her youngest child was only eight months old.
“I missed my babies’ first steps because I was studying. I want to really thank the team at Livingstone Hospital for all their help and support,” she said.
Dr Juan Hammond said he, too, would stay on in the public sector. He said that as part of his specialisation training he had to spend six months in Cape Town.
“It was a dark time for me. I had to work in an unfamiliar hospital and did not have much of a support structure. I thought of leaving a lot, but when I was back ‘home’ at Livingstone Hospital I once again became committed to making a difference for our patients.”
Plastic surgeon Dr Ronel Gowar said she could now realise her dream of starting a full-time clinic for patients with breast cancer.
“I am very grateful to Dr Chris van der Walt, the head of the department of plastic surgery, for allowing me to go to Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Tygerberg to learn from the doctors there.”
Plastic surgeon Dr Derek Odendaal, who is in private practice, also helped her a lot. “The retired head of the department of oncology, Dr Erika Jansen, was also like a second mother to me.”
She said she would be staying on at Livingstone Hospital.