Advancing specialised care for patients

Healthcare is at its strongest when it reflects the diverse communities it serves. 

“The needs of our patients are continuously evolving across cultures, generations, genders and health profiles. Meeting these needs requires specialist teams that pair clinical excellence with diversity of experience and perspective, strengthening our ability to provide exceptional care,” says Dr Rachel Moore, Chief Medical Officer at Mediclinic Southern Africa. “For Mediclinic, actively recruiting woman specialists is an important part of achieving this goal.”

Diverse viewpoints

Research consistently shows that diverse multidisciplinary healthcare teams make better decisions. “Bringing together healthcare professionals with different experiences, communication styles and approaches to problem-solving encourages more robust clinical discussions around the best treatment plan for a patient,” says Dr Moore.

“When surgeons, physicians, radiologists, pathologists, allied healthcare professionals and other specialists collaborate around patients with complex disease processes, multiple different viewpoints help to identify and put in place the best patient care possible.” 

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Comfort and trust

Woman specialists also play a vital role in improving patient access and choice. For many women, particularly when seeking care for sensitive health concerns such as gynaecological conditions, breast disease, fertility, sexual health or trauma, having the option to consult with a female specialist can significantly improve comfort, trust and openness. This can then lead to more honest conversations, earlier diagnosis and better treatment outcomes.

“In our practice, we see a whole range of female patients from the very young to the very mature patient through a whole range of different eras in their lives,” says Dr Elizabeth Hugo, a specialist gynaecologist at Mediclinic Vergelegen. “It’s a privilege because the patient allows you to be in a very intimate relationship and space with them. We believe that a patient is not just their illness, but a whole person, and therefore we also give attention to the patient’s social and mental wellbeing.” 

In some communities, cultural and religious beliefs may mean women clinicians are the preferred (or only) acceptable option for some patients. As Mediclinic has a range of women specialists across the country, these patients have equal access to specialist healthcare when needed.

Leadership and research

Beyond direct patient care, women specialists bring valuable perspectives to leadership, education and research. For instance, Dr Aayesha Soni is one of the few epilepsy specialists in South Africa trained in advanced surgical evaluation techniques, including stereo-EEG, the gold-standard method for precisely locating the source of seizures in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy. She also specialises in neurostimulation therapies, including vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS), offering patients who are not candidates for surgery innovative treatment options that can significantly reduce seizure frequency and improve quality of life.

Many women specialists serve as mentors for younger clinicians, inspire future generations of healthcare professionals and help shape a more inclusive healthcare system. “Their representation in senior clinical and academic roles also ensures that research priorities, clinical guidelines and innovation reflect the needs of a broader patient population,” says Dr Moore.

Intentional approach

Mediclinic’s commitment to attracting more women specialists is not about ticking boxes. Rather, it is a commitment to ensuring that we have the strongest possible teams that are able to understand and respond to the wide-ranging needs of our patients. “It is about recognising that excellence in healthcare improves when we deliberately assemble teams with diverse expertise, experiences and perspectives,” says Dr Moore. “The aim is to provide patients with access to the appropriate specialist in the right setting, where their needs will be understood and respected.”

Mediclinic is committed to delivering world-class care. “Our focus on achieving greater gender diversity among specialists is more than a workforce strategy,” says Dr Moore. “It is a key part of our commitment to stronger clinical collaboration, greater patient choice, and more inclusive healthcare across our hospitals and society.”