Mediclinic Limpopo expands service offering

As a result of a concerted effort to attract niche expertise, more than 20 subspecialists have joined Mediclinic Limpopo over the past seven years.

“Our purpose at Mediclinic Limpopo is to enhance quality of life,” explains Hospital General Manager MC Botha. “By expanding our service offering to include multiple specialists with a subspecialty, we can achieve this.”

Meet some of the hospital’s dedicated specialists:

Dr Mokgadi Nchinyani – maternal and foetal specialist. Dr Nchinyani’s focus is on prenatal care in high-risk pregnancies. “The main aim is to ensure the foetal and maternal wellbeing of pregnancies at risk of antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum complications,” she explains. “If we detect any birth defects or growth problems, we can start treatment before birth, providing monitoring, intrauterine blood transfusion and foetal surgery.” Some of the conditions and risks managed by a maternal and foetal specialist include:

• pre-existing health conditions that may lead to complications, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and heart conditions
• advanced maternal age
• previous history of miscarriages and stillbirths, twins, and multiples.

“Patients and their offspring are managed by a multidisciplinary team to ensure high quality of care and good health,” she adds.

Dr Gabaza Tiva – paediatric pulmonologist. Dr Tiva’s focus is on improving and maintaining lung health in newborns and children under age 16. She was born at Bordeaux Game Farm in Limpopo and grew up in the small village of Shiluvane under Nkuna Tribal Authority. “Being at Mediclinic Limpopo is a great opportunity for me to provide our community with access to state-of-the-art respiratory care services,” she says. “We extend this to our neighbouring countries Zimbabwe and Botswana through our neonatal, paediatric and intensive care units.” Asthma is the most common chronic illness in South African children and its prevalence is increasing in both rural and urban areas. “The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Three showed a prevalence of 18% in Polokwane,” Dr Tiva adds. “I see many children presenting with asthma attacks that require them to be hospitalised. I also treat congenital lung malformations and their complications, and a large number of patients with interstitial lung diseases.”

Dr Vhutshilo Netshituni – paediatric oncologist. In addition to treating cancer in children, Dr Netshituni also treats haematology patients with blood disorders, which include immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) and haemophilia. “Cancers I often see include leukaemia (blood); brain cancer; nephroblastoma (kidney); and retinoblastoma (cancer of the eyes),” she says. “I’m so happy to serve the community of Limpopo. It is my home and I enjoy giving back to the community that raised me and contributed to who I am today. I also treat children from neighbouring countries and always feel fulfilled when I see their smiles.”

Dr Kagiso Batka-Makwinja – specialist paediatric surgeon. “Previously, all specific paediatric surgical patients would be transferred out of Limpopo province for care and management, mostly to Gauteng,” says Dr Batka-Makwinja. “Returning to my roots in Limpopo, these transfers out are no longer necessary, and it is an absolute honour and pleasure to render service to my community and people. My personal and practice pledge is ‘Providing excellent “world-class” paediatric surgery services and healthcare to the children of Limpopo province.’” In her practice, she treats:

• Constipation
• Hernias
• Surgical aspects of cancers
• Any growths, lumps, or bumps on or in the body
• Trauma (all injuries from accidents or swallowing foreign objects/substances)
• Burns
• Intestinal problems including vomiting, appendicitis, neonatal conditions and abnormalities
• All urology conditions, including circumcisions and gynaecological problems in children. 

Dr Legae Mogase – vascular surgeon. In his practice, Dr Mogase treats a variety of conditions, such as aneurysm, peripheral vascular disease, varicose veins, carotid artery disease, and renal access. “The most common procedures I perform at Mediclinic Limpopo include surgery for renal access, endovascular recanalisation or bypass for arterial occlusive disease, varicose veins, and surgery or stenting for aneurysmal disease restoration of blood flow in patients with arterial exclusive disease,” he says. “It is my pleasure to offer these services, and more, to Polokwane and the province of Limpopo as a whole.”

Dr Lloyd Chokoe – plastic and reconstructive surgeon. “Before I joined Mediclinic Limpopo in 2017, there was no plastic surgeon in private practice in the province of Limpopo,” Dr Chokoesays. “Previously, patients with skin or soft tissue cancers in delicate areas that needed resections and complex reconstructions had to be sent to Gauteng. Today I perform on average four such surgeries every week. Patients requiring breast reduction surgery also had to travel elsewhere for assistance. I now perform an average of one breast reduction a week. Having this expertise also allows collaboration with general surgeons and oncologists, so we can take a multidisciplinary team approach to treatments such as breast reconstruction after mastectomy. It gives me great pleasure to be able to offer this service to members of the community in their own town or province. This is something we should never take for granted in terms of accessibility and convenience.”

Dr Jackson Ndhlovu – reproductive medicine specialist and endoscopic surgeon. “My interests are endometriosis surgery and anovulatory patients, especially those with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). It gives me great pleasure to see a smiling couple showing pictures of their baby after a long struggle with infertility. Common ailments I treat in my practice include male factor infertility (sperm wash, sperm freezing and testes biopsies). Endoscopic surgery entails operations with a camera to address:

• blocked tubes
• tubal reversal
• myomectomy (removal of fibroids in the uterus)
• severe endometriosis surgery
• ovarian cyst removal
• ectopic pregnancies.

“It’s wonderful that people in Limpopo no longer need to travel long distances to access IVF treatment. They’re now able to access a laboratory in Tzaneen and appropriate subspecialists in the province.”

Dr Lucia Lekala – gynaecologist. “Gynaecology is a sub-speciality that deals with cancers of the female reproductive organs e.g. vulva, vagina, cervix, uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries.

I do screenings for hereditary malignancy and common cancers like cervical cancer. Cervical cancer is now curable if detected at an early stage, so screening and treatment of pre-malignant lesion of the cervix is of paramount importance.

Other common cancers I see are: Cancer of the uterus, ovaries and vulva. Ovarian cancer is one cancer that presents late and has a high recurrence rate. It is so fulfilling to treat these patients successfully because the disease affects their functionality. I offer excellent doctor-patient relationships and include the family where appropriate. Improving my patients’ quality of life is my priority.”  

Dr Sam Mashoeshoe – gastroenterologist. “Conditions managed by a gastrointestinal specialist include the spectrum of inflammatory bowel diseases, gastroesophageal reflux disease, liver diseases, irritable bowel syndrome and esophageal diseases. Some of the specialist diagnostic procedures I perform in order to assist in the management of patients include gastroscopy, colonoscopy, manometry (to assess oesophageal functioning), pH studies to assist in diagnosing patients with acid or non-acid reflux disease and small bowel capsular endoscopy to assess disease of the small bowel. The burden of gastrointestinal diseases and its complications in the Limpopo province is immense. My arrival has been an eye-opener to patients and general practitioners alike, regarding the importance of gastrointestinal health. Travelling outside the province for gastrointestinal care is now a thing of the past.

“This expansion of services allows our doctors to refer patients to subspecialists within Mediclinic Limpopo, improving the time to diagnosis and treatment,” says Botha. “It also enables our patients and their families to limit additional travelling and associated costs.”