Again, the season of “Gaudeamus Igitur” and “Seanamarena” has been serving graduation content of first-time graduates and a galore of red gowns. Our PhD holders have eaten and left no crumbs while walking that stage to be conferred with their qualifications.
However, this spring graduation season has seen an epic milestone of two siblings, Drs Gcinile and Mlungisi Mngoma, graduating together at the University of KwaZulu-Natal last Friday.
The older sibling, a medical doctor, Gcinile was conferred with a Master of Medicine degree in Anaesthetics, while Mlungisi graduated with a MBChB degree.
Emphasising their mother’s prayers helped them reach their educational goals, the siblings’ inspirations to pursue medicine were slanted.
While Mlungisi noted his older sister inspired him to pursue medicine, Gcinile said: “I grew up in a very remote village of Isangqu in Umzumbe, with poor infrastructure; no telephone services and a mobile clinic that came once a month, including poor access to health care. Preventable deaths and morbidities happened.”
The Mngoma siblings from KZN, Umbumbulu, stated they were elated when each witnessed their sibling being conferred. However, the proud sister was tearful.
“Honestly, I was proud that I even had to fight back tears, because I put make-up on. He fought so hard and took detours, but found his way back. So, it was heart-warming to see him finally reach his goal and do it with pride,” Gcinile said.
The road to graduation can be a bumpy ride, and the siblings encountered a ton of challenges before they finally got the chance to wear their graduation regalia.
Mlungisi listed funding as a setback, while Gcinile said balancing motherhood and school, and her nephew’s illness took a toll on her.
“I had issues with funding. At some point, I had to de-register and leave medical school for a while. At that time, I was dealing with personal issues, which affected my career deeply,” he said.
Gcinile said: “Being a great mother is very important to me, therefore it was difficult balancing motherhood and academics. There were family challenges that demanded my attention. The biggest challenge was when my nephew was born with a tracheoesophageal fistula, that took a toll on everyone emotionally, including me.”
She said juggling college exams and the Master’s academically pressured her.
Gcinile’s Master of Medicine research is the first of its kind in the country, where it was conducted at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital’s intensive care unit.
The Mngoma sister said her research topic was centred around her close experience with HIV/Aids and tuberculosis patients at the Church of Scotland Hospital in Msinga.
“I worked at the Church of Scotland for a while after medical school, where I dealt with HIV/Aids and TB very closely on a daily basis. That is where my passion for this antiretroviral (ARV) subject was ignited. When I came back to the city, I would notice patients on ARVs and be cognisant of how I talked to them about it (HIV), and how they remained on their ARVs. I became aware of how they metabolised certain drugs intraoperatively, hence, I decided to do a study on them,” she said.
Supervised by Professor Timothy Hardcastle and Dr Kim de Vasconcellos, Gcinile’s research is a reminder for everyday practitioners, even at primary health-care level, about the care that needs to be taken when administering ARVs drugs as they influence the metabolism of other drugs, scientifically known as pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics.
When she was conferred, Gcinile described the moment as if she was at the top of the mountain: “It is a whole new feeling of relief because Master’s is really hard, especially towards the end. It was a feeling of ‘wow, my God has been faithful’,” she said.
Mlungisi said: “It was unbelievable at first. I kept checking if I was not dreaming. Eventually, I calmed down and began to feel like a doctor.”
The intern doctor at the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital in the Eastern Cape, mentioned his sister was his pillar of strength through his academic journey.
“She, Gcinile, played a huge role in my career. My family as a whole has been very supportive. I really appreciate every single one of them,” Mlungisi said.
He was not sure which field he would like to specialise in, but orthopaedics was listed among others.
“I have not decided on the field of speciality. I do like orthopaedics very much. I want to keep my mind open now, focus on my internship and community service. I think by the time I finish community service, I will have a better feel for what speciality I will do,” Mlungisi said.
The Star