Medicine: Pietermaritzburg ComplexHead of Department
Dr B Thembela FCP (SA)
The Pietermaritzburg Department of Internal Medicine is based at Grey’s hospital, Pietermaritzburg. The Department is involved in the provision of services, training and research.
Clinical Services
Tertiary Services and Regional Services and Support for District Level Services are provided in 5 Health Districts in the interior of the Province of KwaZulu/Natal.
Tertiary Services (Level 3): (Inpatient and Outpatient at Greys Hospital)
- ARV Rollout
- Cardiology
- Dermatology
- Endocrinology
- Gastro-enterology
- Infectious Diseases
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Pulmonology
- Rheumatology
Regional Services (Level 2): (Inpatient and Outpatient)
- Edendale Hospital
- Greys Hospital
- Ladysmith Hospital
- Madadeni Hospital
Support For District Services (Level 1): In 5 Health Districts
- Sisonke
- Umgungundlovu
- Uthukela
- Umzinyathi
- Amajuba
Interactive/Outreach Programs
Consultants and Senior Registrars visit District Hospitals in the above 5 Health Districts (known as Area 2) served by Greys Hospital to attend to patients and teach on a monthly basis.
Public Private Partnerships
Collegial relationships with private sector colleagues in Pietermaritzburg are excellent and many of them make a contribution as part time medical officers or consultants in the Public Sector Hospitals; physicians and registrars meet monthly in the “PIPS” Society meetings for academic purposes. Some of our consultants are providing a limited service in their subspecialties to private patients in Pietermaritzburg. We are receiving a bone mineral density estimation service from the private sector in Pietermaritzburg at a bargain price.
Teaching
The unit is actively involved in both undergraduate and post graduate teaching. Pietermaritzburg Department of Internal Medicine trains undergraduate and postgraduate students in medicine under the auspices of the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine of the University of KwaZulu/Natal.
- Undergraduates: Groups of 4th year medical students from the university do their 4th year clinical rotation in full at Pietermaritzburg hospitals – trained by or consultants
- Postgraduates: Medical Registrars are trained in conjunction with the registrar training program at the Medical School in Durban – there are currently 20 registrar posts
Undergraduate
Groups of 4th year medical students from the university do their 4th year clinical rotation in full at Pietermaritzburg hospitals – trained by or consultants.
Postgraduate
Medical Registrars are trained in conjunction with the registrar training program at the Medical School in Durban – there are currently 16 registrar posts. Subspecialty Training: Subspecialists are trained with the assistance of the subspecialty units at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban.
Other Educational Activities
Visiting undergraduate and postgraduate trainees from other medical schools in South Africa and beyond our shores are hosted in the Department. The Pietermaritzburg Postgraduate Training Centre has an active training program in HIV/AIDS supported by the Extended Care Initiative (ECI) at the Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine. Weekly CME activities, including Wednesday “Grand Rounds”, are open to all legitimately interested members of the community
Meetings
Wednesday Grand Rounds are held in the Admin block, Greys Hospital at 7.30 am on Wednesdays.
Research
- Research is being conducted at various sites in the Department of Medicine in the Pietermaritzburg Metropolitan Hospital Complex. Anyone interested in doing meaningful research in our clients which has their best interests at heart is welcome to approach Pietermaritzburg Department of Internal Medicine for support.
- The Department of Internal Medicine co-operated with LifeLine/Rape Crisis and the Northdale Hospital Crisis Centre to publish a study on adherence to post-exposure prophylaxis in rape survivors.
- The Department of Medicine at Edendale Hospital is undertaking a study of clinical criteria for the diagnosis of smear negative tuberculosis.
- The Department of Medicine at Edendale Hospital is planning to undertake a clinical trial of the effectiveness of Sutherlandia, a herbal preparation, in the management of patients with HIV infection.
- A study is being conducted at Edendale Hospital to investigate the importance of the genetic make-up of iron receptors in the susceptibility of patients to tuberculosis infection.
- A study is being undertaken at Edendale Hospital to try to get a better insight into why tuberculosis treatment fails; it is particularly system-related factors that are being investigated.
- The profile of lactic acidosis in patients on anti-retroviral therapy at Edendale Hospital and at Greys Hospital has been studied; there have been presentations, but no publications on this important topic so far.
- A major study is being planned at Edendale Hospital to run over the next 4 to 5 years to investigate the role of corticosteroid therapy in the treatment of patients with HIV infection and tuberculosis disease.
- A team of psychologists from the United States is going to undertake, starting in 2007, a behaviour modification intervention study in clinics in the Umgungundlovu District to try to establish if a particular psychological interviewing technique can bring about behaviour change and alter the incidence of STDs in patients with HIV infection attending the clinics for ARV treatment.
- A team of researchers from Canada has acquired funding to do a cohort study on the prevention of HIV infection in discordant couples in patients with HIV infection on antiretroviral therapy.
- Doctors at the ARV Clinic at Greys Hospital are conducting a study to compare lactate results obtained from hand-held devices to those obtained from the laboratory.
- Another study is being undertaken at HIV Clinics to establish mechanisms of HLA-associated control and lack of control of HIV infection.
- The Department of Neurology at Greys Hospital is undertaking a qualitative and quantitative magnetic resonance diffusion study investigating the pathogenesis of cryptococcal induced vision loss.
Staff
Full-Time Academic and Clinical Staff
- Dr B Thembela
- Dr R Caldwell
- Dr C Coka
- Dr K Rasmussen
Cardiology
- Dr S Maharaj
- Dr Shein
Endocrinology
- Dr F Mahomed
Gastroenterology
- Dr C Jozi
Infectious Diseases
- Dr H Dawood
- Dr. D Wilson
Nephrology
- Dr N Collinge
- Dr Leann Guruvadu
Neurology
- Dr. A. Moodley
Pulmonology
- Dr KT Naidoo
Support Staff
- Ms Adela van der Walt
Contact Us
| Physical Address | Postal Address |
| Dept of Medicine Greys Hospital Townbush Road Pietermaritzburg |
Dept of Medicine Greys Hospital Private Bag X9001 Pietermaritzburg 3200 |
Tel: +27 (0)33 897 3289
Fax: +27 (0)33 845 0326
E-mail: Ms Adela van der Walt: cadela.vanderwalt@kznhealth.gov.za
