Dr Nangamso Kukulela is one of few black specialist physicians in SA and he is making it his mission to open doors for others.
The 33-year-old doctor is the first and only black specialist physician at Netcare Sunninghill Hospital in Sandton, Johannesburg. Some of the conditions he deals with are auto-immune, cardiac, respiratory conditions as well as more common ones such as diabetes, hypertension and cholesterol.
"There are still very few black physicians in the country, especially in bigger hospital groups like Netcare. But now it's getting better and better; more doctors are studying further and becoming specialists. In my hospital, I'm currently the first and only black physician. But surely this will change in the near future as we are all working hard to open doors for others," he said.
Kukulela, who is from Matatiele in the Eastern Cape, said he wanted to be a doctor because he was not only excellent at his studies but he also wanted to help people.
"I have always been a humble and dedicated hard worker and that was rewarded after completing my matric in 2004 with a scholarship to pursue any career of my choice at any university. I decided to study medicine as it suited my personality and my passion of working with and for my people."
Kukulela studied towards a bachelor of medicine and surgery (MBChB) at the University of Cape Town. He also has a master's degree from Wits University in internal medicine.
Before becoming a specialist physician he was an intern doctor at Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria and did his community service work at Humansdorp Hospital in the Eastern Cape.
"Medicine is such a broad and exciting field and one has to choose which field they like the most and study further to become specialists in that particular field of interest. For me, I decided to specialise in internal medicine and qualify as a specialist physician [or internist]. This basically means I specialise in prevention, diagnosis and management of complex and simple medical conditions," said Kukulela.
He said because of his background he is able to give a different approach when diagnosing and treating the conditions of his patients.
"Having a black physician in a world-class facility like Netcare Sunninghill with world-class resources and services is very important in that many people who previously were not able to access such a facility can now access it. Also it helps in that as black SA specialists we are able to understand many of our patients' socio-cultural background and that enables us to manage them accordingly. This is not only because we are able to speak the same language but also we are able to relate to their background. This helps with our holistic approach to patient care."
Kukulela wants to continue giving good patient care and successfully running his mentor programme where he helps medical students and interns reach their potential.
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