UKZN’s discipline of Internal Medicine ended 2023 on a high note, successfully hosting its 40th Medicine Update – a dynamic and interactive symposium attended by a combination of postgraduate students, medical experts, and seasoned researchers who presented cases faced by modern-day doctors in South Africa, and calling for medical efforts to increase their focus on treating patients and preventing diseases at the community level.
The event has been held over the past few years under the leadership of Professor Nombulelo Magula whose passion for walking the journey with her patients and students and making medicine accessible to all South Africans is displayed in her role as the Head of Internal Medicine at UKZN and the leader of Clairwood Hospital’s clinical team.
In his opening address, Health Deputy Minister and UKZN medical alumnus, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, said he was impressed by the symposium theme: “Advancing Health Education, Extending Life Expectancy, One Patient at A Time”.
Dlomo is a staunch custodian of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI), both of which prioritise patient access to care even in the most remote rural areas. He said it was important to shape-shift access to healthcare, starting from one patient to one household, and then one community and beyond. He delivered a stimulating impromptu presentation on the envisaged benefits of having the NHI Bill implemented in the county.
Dlomo cautioned against the imminent pandemic of non-communicable diseases, begging all members of society to encourage each other to exercise, maintain a healthy diet, and reduce smoking and alcohol consumption. He said, as it is, health experts continue to fight against the country’s quadruple burden of disease – a cocktail of four colliding epidemics: maternal, new-born, and child health; HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis (TB); non-communicable diseases; and violence and injury – all of which require all members of society, young and older, to play an active role in preventing.
Dhlomo promoted innovation and compassion amongst healthcare practitioners, emphasising the constant need for health promotion and disease prevention.
Lobbying for proactive finding of TB cases instead of only testing for the disease when patients arrive at healthcare facilities, was Professor Keertan Dheda – a hospital-based respiratory physician and clinician scientist with professorial appointments at the University of Cape Town and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He delivered the event’s Vinod Gathiram Memorial Lecture, this year titled: “Diagnosis of tuberculosis: what’s new, what’s hot, what’s not?”
Dheda shared TB-testing best practices with attendees, also stressing that healthcare needs to reach the communities where they live. ‘Beyond screening for TB, HIV, and other primary healthcare services, nothing should stop mobile units from roaming to remote communities, adding services that address pertinent challenges such as mental health,’ he said.
Dr Zanele Moya, a Specialist Physician at Umlazi township’s Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital, impressed the auditorium with her recently published Master’s research assessing the index CD4 and associated outcomes at one year in a tertiary HIV clinic. She said eight million people were reported to be living with HIV in 2022 in South Africa, 5.1 million of which were adult females, 2.7 million being adult males, and an alarming 200 000 being children. She presented the study at the Fast-Track Cities 2023 conference in Amsterdam and shared its findings at the Medicine Update.
The Head of UKZN’s Pulmonology discipline Professor Kennedy Nyamande presented on the management of pneumococcal disease which is caused by bacteria (Streptococcus pneumoniae) that can attack different parts of the body and emphasising the critical role of vaccination against this infection, while the esteemed Haematologist, Dr Farah Rahman, updated the auditorium about the evolving treatment landscape of Multiple Myeloma (MM) in South Africa. MM is a cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell.
Dr Yoliswa Madela, a PhD candidate and dedicated Specialist Physician and Consultant in the Department of Geriatrics at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital, sensitised the doctors to the nuances involved in administering drugs for older persons.
It was Dr Bhasela Yalezo, a Senior lecturer at UKZN’s Graduate School of Business and Leadership who shone the spotlight on the medico-legal intersection between advocacy, ethics and healthcare professionals when he presented insightful cases of medical negligence that have recently been litigated.
The event deliberated on ways to promote health-seeking behaviour. It presented the need for a full-day workshop around public-private collaboration towards the NHI, and the programme ended with a fun-filled medical quiz and prize-giving.
The discipline of Internal Medicine at UKZN provides specialist medical care for individuals over the age of 12 years, which is a continuation of where paediatric medicine ends. it encompasses the fields of cardiology, diabetes and endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatrics, infectious diseases, pulmonology, nephrology, neurology, dermatology, rheumatology general medicine.
Words: Lunga Memela
Photos: Albert Hirasen
Caption: Seen at the 40th Medicine Update.