​Fikile Oyekanmi


With responsibilities that include heading Leratong
Hospital’s Accident, Trauma and Emergency Unit, champion of Blood Transfusion
Committee, member of Reasonable Accommodation Committee, chairing the
hospital’s COVID 19 Steering Committee, Dr Nokwanda Mzondo’s drive for service
cannot be disputed. 


A graduate from the University of Pretoria, whose passion
for medicine dates back to when she used to walk her grandmother to the clinic
as a little girl. “I have always seen myself as a surgeon and the decision came
upon the age of 4yrs of when I used to walk with my grandmother to her clinic.
The urge to help the sick was my first passion. That passion for service has
not changed. I am glad that in my current job that is exactly what I am doing.  SERVING.”


In 2008, when she graduated from medical school she had no
idea that in the year 2020, South Africa and the world would be confronted with
a pandemic of COVID19’s magnitude. Being in the frontline of it all, since the
beginning of this pandemic, Dr Mzondo has hardly slept due to fear for those
around her. “My greatest fear is not the virus itself. My greatest fear is for
those who are so consumed in their minds by the virus to an extent of
forgetting and neglecting to just be themselves”, said Dr Mzondo. 


When asked what her biggest challenge is in her role, she
pointed the need to reinforce team work and support in managing patients as
well as lack of cooperation from the community.


“The frontline is a challenging area because it all starts
there. We always need to remember that we are here to serve the patients. We
need support from various levels starting with making sure we get proper PPEs,
medical equipment and appropriate staffing levels. The community needs to
cooperate with the set rules and access health services at the correct level to
avoid overcrowding, especially now that we are required to practise social
distancing. The community needs to understand that this pandemic is real and it
kills. The statistics presented are not just numbers but truly people’s lives”.


Even with the challenges that come with COVID-19, Dr Mzondo
acknowledges some positives that this period brought. “My greatest achievement
with the Covid19 pandemic is the strength I have gathered from God to face any
challenge. This period has also shown me the strength and passion of the team
in my unit. I have made more friends and family in the workplace because of a
common goal of fighting this pandemic”.