By Everson Luhanga
- Doctor Phathiswa Sifuba-Makapela wants to help rural patients get faster and more accurate test results from local doctors this year.
- The National Health Laboratory Service says this major achievement will finally bring better health care to Eastern Cape communities soon.
Doctor Phathiswa Sifuba-Makapela is bringing hope for better rural health care across the Eastern Cape.
She has just become the first doctor to qualify as a chemical pathology specialist through Walter Sisulu University and the National Health Laboratory Service.
The service shared the good news on Sunday, 4 May. They called it a major step forward for local medical training.
Sifuba-Makapela grew up in Ngqamakwe in the former Transkei. She finished her early schooling in the rural Eastern Cape before getting a science degree at the former University of Transkei. The university is now known as Walter Sisulu University.
Before she studied medicine, she worked as a teacher for six years.
She completed some of her specialist training in Pretoria. She then finished her qualification back home through the Nelson Mandela Academic Laboratory and Walter Sisulu University.
Sifuba-Makapela said her new title proves that doctors can train locally instead of leaving the province.
“For many years, doctors from rural and under-resourced areas have had to leave the province to complete specialist training,” she said.
She said it is possible to build local skills and bring better services to the people.
Her love for laboratory medicine started in medical school. She saw how test results help doctors choose the right treatments for sick patients.
Now she wants to fix local laboratory systems and train the next group of specialists. Working with rural communities taught her that correct test results lead to better health.
“Every result belongs to a patient who depends on timely and accurate answers,” she said.
Sifuba-Makapela urged young people from rural communities to keep chasing their dreams.
“The journey may be long and challenging, but with resilience, hard work, and support, it is possible to achieve your goals,” she said.
Pictured above: Doctor Phathiswa Sifuba-Makapela became the first chemical pathology specialist trained in the Eastern Cape.
Image source: Supplied
