WSU ACADEMIC WORKING TOWARDS A SOLUTION TO MTHATHA MEDICAL CRISIS

Mthatha-born anaesthesiologist and academic, Professor Busisiwe Mrara, works outside her usual environment to supervise patient care before, during and after surgery alongside an anaesthesia care team at Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital.

The Walter Sisulu University (WSU) Head of Department (Anaesthesiology) and PhD candidate is committed to improving the health system to prevent Mthatha locals from having to travel to East London and Durban for surgery. 

Her medical speciality involves putting patients to sleep to ensure they are unaware, comfortable and pain-free when they undergo operations. The skills extend to managing patients on life support in the ICU and assisting other specialities with resuscitation and pain management. 

“It is difficult to recruit other specialists to Mthatha because of funding and procurement of equipment for training and service delivery. Anaesthesiology delivery and training is reliant on the use of technology and modern equipment, but I am positive that there will be a breakthrough,” said Mrara.

This anaesthesiologist-intensivist who has a colourful career experience and enjoys assisting fellow humans had an opportunity to train in the third-largest hospital in the world, Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg.

“Working at Baragwanath hospital gave me exposure to a wide range of conditions, teachings and ways of managing the health system,” added Mrara.

Mrara underlines doing a Critical Care fellowship in Australia, gaining experience in first world critical care practice and subsequently starting the job at WSU/Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital (NMAH) as well as building the department to improve its specialist training capability as her career highlights.

Mrara is currently pursuing her PhD with WSU with her study on “Predictors of renal failure in the ICU setting and ways of preventing the condition”.

“WSU is building and growing its academic profile and I want to pride myself on being part of the progress, “said Mrara.

Mrara serves as a member of the Colleges of Medicine Council for Anaesthesia, representing WSU and the Eastern Cape at large.

This leaf that didn’t fall far from its tree takes after her mother who was a nurse and used to help sick people in the neighbourhood and extended family and her father who was an academic and one of the pioneers of the then the University of Transkei, now WSU.

-       Anita Roji