“It is important to understand that stigma is never just about termination of pregnancy but plays out and attaches to different social issues and political debates in our respective societies.”Ĭarey holds an honours degree in journalism and media from the University of Witwatersrand, and she landed her radio job a week after she had loaded her profile on the station’s website. “I like to be able to work on something, see and measure the result, and understand the impact it has on people and, of course, on myself,” she says.Ĭareys says part of the work she is doing in advocating for positive sexuality and abortion is to to stackle the stigma attached to abortions. One of the things that drive Carey is being able to add value to someone’s life and that has been the source of inspiration for the work she does. She has also directly and personally raised money for abortions. Her volunteer activities, which are as varied as her skills, include: helping people understand and overcome their fear of abortion, assisting those with no access to information about the administrative processes of abortions, speaking in public about abortion research in South Africa and simply being a friend to those who are most in need of one. Leigh-Ann Carey has had a measurable effect in the past three years as a passionate advocate for women seeking abortions, especially those in impoverished areas. She also hopes to work in the public sector, saying: “With the skills learnt, I also aim to improve the outcomes of advanced and complex glaucoma patients, helping to more effectively preserve their sight.” What drives her to work so hard? In her own words: “Being able to make a meaningful contribution to the lives of others through striving to heal, be kind, mentor and inspire definitely drives me towards excellence.”
Upon her return from the fellowship in London, Baboolal aims to work on improving the academic and clinical resources for surgical trainees. “This position helped me mentor other female surgeons of colour en route to becoming specialist eye surgeons. “My proudest moment is being able to return to my undergraduate university, 10 years after I graduated with my first medical degree, as a consultant ophthalmic surgeon and lecturer,” Baboolal says. Baboolal’s presence as a researcher, practitioner, and teacher has inspired many other young women of colour to enter into surgical specialisations, and she has directly helped many of them along their path. Most surgical fields are male-dominated, and ophthalmology is no different. There are no similar programmes offered in South Africa or on the African continent.” “I was inspired to apply as a consultant in South Africa, treating advanced and complex glaucoma patients with limited options. “Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally and most severely affects those of African descent,” Baboolal explains. Sandika Baboolal is a consultant ophthalmic surgeon, lecturer and PhD candidate, as well as the first South African to be accepted into the Glaucoma Fellowship at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London, a prestigious and internationally renowned institute in the field of eye care. “You can be anything you want, irrespective of your socioeconomic status.” “It doesn’t matter your socioeconomic status it doesn’t matter whether you are an orphan, hard work always pays,” he says. Machacha was raised by a single, unemployed mother but he says this did not stop him from dreaming and aiming for the stars. He has also been recognised by the Limpopo department of education for having reduced the maternal mortality rate in the province.
At 34, he was appointed as the hospital’s chief executive. The opportunity eventually presented itself, and Machacha now works for Mecklenburg hospital in Burgersfort. At St Ritas hospital he received an award for the best medical intern.īut even though his work was impressive at both hospitals his heart yearned to go back and work in his hometown.
He got a scholarship to study medicine in Cuba and returned to work for St Ritas hospital and Maphutha Maphutha L Malatji hospital, both in Limpopo. Machacha’s illness as a child, lack of doctors and long queues at hospitals sparked his interest into medicine at a young age.
Seeing dying patients being brought back to life and hearing the positive remarks from families of patients who he has helped is what drives him to excel as a medical doctor. Many years later, he is saving lives and also finds pleasure in bringing new life into the world by delivering babies. He spent his childhood dreaming of finding a cure for his illness. He was later diagnosed with hydronephrosis, the swelling of a kidney because of a build-up of urine. The lack of doctors in his hometown of Burgersfort in Limpopo meant that no one could detect what was wrong with him. Dr Phale Phillemon Machacha grew up as a sickly child.
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