News — african medicine

What is the difference between magic and spirituality? Edison Agbanje goes through the definition of both concepts. He offers educative and powerful insight into the connection between self and what is around us. One of the topics that Edison Agbanje touches is the deep connection between language and spirituality. He emphasizes using the language of your roots rather than the language of their country of origin. This way, one is able to connect better with their spirituality. This offers a relatively unique and different perspective on how we can tap into what is in us to be better beings. What are your thoughts?

Elizabeth Holmes had claimed to have invented a medical tool that could scan a single drop of blood for all kinds of diseases. This was a revolutionary invention that could have changed preventative healthcare. At 19, she created a company that drew numerous investors, making her the first Silicon Valley self made billionaire. However, it turns out her invention was fraudulent and non-existent. Holmes is now facing multiple charges and could face up to 20 years in prison. For all the hope and hype she created over her revolutionary invention, Holmes killed the dream of having the best preventative healthcare tool ever made. What do you think?

The Gondar College of Medical Sciences is located in Gondar in the northwestern part of Ethiopia.  The college, founded in 1954, is the oldest health professional training institute in Ethiopia.

The medical college was located in Gondar in 1954 in part because of the malaria epidemic that devastated the region during 1952 and 1953.  The college was designed to educate various health care workers in a manner that would allow them to address the particular health needs of rural Ethiopia. While most professional training institutions focus on preparing graduates to understand the disease processes as they affect individuals and especially on diagnosis and management, Gondar College has emphasized preventative medicine and focused on public health (community health) in its training, service, and research activities.

In 1961 the college was placed under the direction of the Haile Selassie I University, now known as Addis Ababa University. The college also offered for the first time a bachelor of science degree in Public Health. Over the next 20 years, the college played a prominent role in preparing over 1,100 professionals. In 1978 the institution was authorized to establish a medical school to train doctors, health officers, community nurses, and other health professionals. Since 1979 when the first class enrolled in the school’s medical program, the program has grown both in size and function. In 1994, the college was renamed the Gondar College of Medical Sciences (GCMS), and its mission was redefined to include the basic research in health sciences and to serve as a referral health center for the region.

The college is at present undertaking various projects for expansion of its activities including construction of a new library, a student dormitory, classrooms, and science laboratories. It increased its student enrollment by 30% with the 2009 school year.

Today GCMS has over 2,000 students enrolled in medical and health science fields ranging from nursing and public health to internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, radiology, dentistry, and orthopedics. The students are recruited from all regions of Ethiopia.

In 2004 GCMS became part of the University of Gondar.  The entire university has 11,000 regular students and 6,000 extension students in 35 undergraduate programs and 8 graduate programs.

The Gondar College of Medical Sciences is located in Gondar in the northwestern part of Ethiopia.  The college, founded in 1954, is the oldest health professional training institute in Ethiopia.

The medical college was located in Gondar in 1954 in part because of the malaria epidemic that devastated the region during 1952 and 1953.  The college was designed to educate various health care workers in a manner that would allow them to address the particular health needs of rural Ethiopia. While most professional training institutions focus on preparing graduates to understand the disease processes as they affect individuals and especially on diagnosis and management, Gondar College has emphasized preventative medicine and focused on public health (community health) in its training, service, and research activities.

In 1961 the college was placed under the direction of the Haile Selassie I University, now known as Addis Ababa University. The college also offered for the first time a bachelor of science degree in Public Health. Over the next 20 years, the college played a prominent role in preparing over 1,100 professionals. In 1978 the institution was authorized to establish a medical school to train doctors, health officers, community nurses, and other health professionals. Since 1979 when the first class enrolled in the school’s medical program, the program has grown both in size and function. In 1994, the college was renamed the Gondar College of Medical Sciences (GCMS), and its mission was redefined to include the basic research in health sciences and to serve as a referral health center for the region.

The college is at present undertaking various projects for expansion of its activities including construction of a new library, a student dormitory, classrooms, and science laboratories. It increased its student enrollment by 30% with the 2009 school year.

Today GCMS has over 2,000 students enrolled in medical and health science fields ranging from nursing and public health to internal medicine, surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, radiology, dentistry, and orthopedics. The students are recruited from all regions of Ethiopia.

In 2004 GCMS became part of the University of Gondar.   The entire university has 11,000 regular students and 6,000 extension students in 35 undergraduate programs and 8 graduate programs.

Dr. Thakgalo Thibela is being hailed as one of South Africa’s youngest doctors, having graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Witwatersrand. According to the Health Practice Council of South Africa, Thibela is the youngest active female doctor in the country.

The 21-year-old woman is living her lifelong dream of being a doctor. She is helping to put smiles back on the faces of her patients.

“The gratitude patients have after receiving help brings me so much joy,” she was quoted by The Saturday Star. “Seeing smiles on patient’s faces after consultation or when they get discharged from the hospital is why I love this job so much. I’ve always wanted to help people and medicine has given me the platform to do just that.”

Thibela grew up in Violetbank, a rural village in Bushbuckridge, in Mpumalanga in eastern South Africa. Coming from a middle-class family, her dad is a manager at a local municipality while her mother is a primary school teacher. Her parents valued education and instilled in her the power of education at a very young age.

Having been educated through the public school system, Thibela is proud of her achievements. She has always been the youngest person in her class since high school after skipping grades. Thibela skipped grade 7 in primary school and enrolled at Lehlasedi High School where she barely spent a week in grade 9 and was promoted to grade 10.

During her high school graduation, a then 15-year-old Thibela had distinctions in seven out of eight subjects.

“I was very fortunate that the schools I went to (public schools by the way) promoted students they felt were doing well academically, so as a result I didn’t do Grade 7 and 9 and I also started school a year early which enabled me to complete matric at 15,” she told The Saturday Star.

At 16, all Thibela wanted to do was to be a doctor. Thus, during school applications, she chose medicine as her first choice. She was subsequently admitted to Wits University at the age of 16 where she enrolled for a six-year degree in the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.

Gaining admission to the university was her first time living away from her family and outside her village to the city. It was quite difficult readjusting and she had to deal with low self-esteem coupled with bullying from the city folks because of her thick village accent. She was also ridiculed by her university peers for not pronouncing certain English words the way most people pronounced them, a report by News24 said.

At a point, she felt out of place. Nonetheless, she had one goal and that was to finish medical school. She performed very well in school, earning her the Golden Key International membership, a recognition for students doing well academically. At 21, she has completed her Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, making herself and her family proud.

She has been instrumental amid the COVID-19 pandemic, working on the frontline with her colleagues at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg, where she is doing her practical experiential learning.

Patients and doctors alike get fascinated by her skills and level of professionalism especially when they get to know she is 21 years old. In her second year of medical school, Thibela got intrigued by the human brain during a dissection practical and has hopes of specializing in neurosurgery sometime soon.

“The brain and nervous system have always fascinated me. If the brain stops working, whether your heart is still beating or not, you are considered dead.

“For me, the brain is the most important organ in the human body, and I would like to know more about it and help people who have a brain and nervous system lesions get better,” she said.

Thibela hopes to inspire others to chase their dreams as well, especially the young ones in her village.