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In a significant development for the healthcare community in the country, three Walter Sisulu University doctors have been elected council members of different colleges in the prestigious Colleges of Medicine of South Africa (CMSA).
The election of the Head of Anaesthesiology Department, Professor Busisiwe Mrara, Head of Family Medicine Department, Professor Olawutobi Adeleke, and Dr Viwe Nogaga from the Department of Surgery comes as a recognition of their dedication and hard work in their fields of specialisation.
The key function of CMSA is acting as a national examining body for medical professions in South Africa. CMSA embraces 29 constituent Colleges, representing all the disciplines of medicine and dentistry.
“Being part of the council allows us to have a voice and be able to factor in our own challenges as previously disadvantaged universities. In the past, we were following what the predominantly white universities were doing, but it did not align with our own challenges because we were not part of the decision-making process,” said Adeleke.
Adeleke who has been elected for the second term further said, this opens a lot of doors for the university because one gets to meet colleagues from around the world and formulate national and international collaborations.
“One of the successful collaborations from my election as a councillor of the College of Family Physicians in the CMSA, was the contribution of nine book chapters by WSU in the South African Family Practice Manual that is used to train Family Physicians in the country,” said Adeleke.
These elections mark a critical step forward in promoting medical excellence, fostering innovation, and improving healthcare standards across the nation.
“My goal is to make sure that the training of specialists from different universities is unified so that those who are less resourced get training that is as good as those who are in well-resourced universities,” said Mrara.
Mrara has been elected for four consecutive years as a councillor of the College of Anaesthesiology and for the second time as the president of the College.
“In my previous term, I was the only black person elected and I co-opted colleagues from the University of Limpopo. This term there are two elected black people and I will still co-opt to make four. For me it is important to mentor others so that they can be able to identify gaps that they can jump into. To get the progression that I got, my predecessor who comes from the University of KwaZulu-Natal mentored me, so it is important for us to keep grooming each other to grow in this space,” said Mrara.
Mrara’s unwavering contribution to anaesthetic issues was also recognised in the in the 31st Anaesthetic Foundation Refresher Course when she was awarded for bringing anaesthetics to the rural setting.
“In the EC we are not well staffed, in our department we have about three specialists, yet we have a big workload because we support every surgical discipline. Anesthetists are in demand in the private sector, therefore they do not see the need to come and strain themselves in the public sector, so my coming to Mthatha and conducting trainings with specialists has a big impact in the space of anaesthesiology because no one wants to come here,” said Mrara.
The newly elected council members are expected to work closely with their fellow CMSA council members on critical issues such as influencing healthcare policies, medical education, and quality improvement initiatives.
By Anita Roji
