Retshidisitswe Kotane’s curiosity about her great-grandmother’s swollen feet sparked a passion for medicine. Now the doctor, 25, is on the frontline of SA’s fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.
After completing her Bachelor of Clinical Medical Practice studies at Wits University’s Medical School, Kotane couldn’t pay her R95,000 debt, which meant she couldn’t get the certificate needed to register with the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) so she could get a job.
With the help of the Feenix crowdfunding platform and the Standard Bank Tutuwa Community Foundation, her debt was paid and she now works at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).
“I almost wasn’t a doctor. I’m still in disbelief and every day I feel like I need to pinch myself. I’m living my dream, I’m making a difference in somebody else’s life. When a patient comes in really critical and a day or two later they’ve improved, I’m a happy person. Just seeing the smile on their face and their families’ faces, it’s amazing to be part of somebody’s joy,” Kotane said.
Her day starts at 8am in the laboratory. She was initially part of the virology team handling the Covid-19 tests and has since joined the epidemiology team which is investigating Covid deaths and the virus’s progression.
Kotane said it has been “interesting and scary” studying the virus. In her spare time she volunteers at clinics in the Johannesburg CBD and Krugersdorp. She also works shifts at private clinics and emergency units in hospitals over the weekend.
“It was quite a big transition from being in the clinic to being in the lab. I’d be at the lab during the day and if I finish early I’d go to the clinic, it’s my favourite day. Over the weekends I go to a private GP so I’m behind the scenes and on the frontline,” she said.
Krugersdorp, where she lives, is one of Gauteng’s Covid-19 hot spots, but seeing the numbers in the lab has made it scarier for her.
“When I get to the Johannesburg CBD it breaks my heart, we’re doing so much and working so hard and people can’t play their part. I haven’t seen my family in three months and every day I see somebody taking their life for granted and taking what we do for granted. I want to see my mom too but I can’t because I have to look after somebody else’s mom. Can we work together?” Kotane said.
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