My time here at Tafelsig has been an invaluable experience up until this point. A patient once asked me, “Why would you ever want to work all the way out here in Tafelsig of all places?” My response was that this clinic is the most valuable place of internship for anyone interested in the health care field and that I couldn’t see myself anywhere else in Cape Town learning as much as I am here on a daily basis. I am really starting to enter my comfort zone here as I have become very familiar with the hectic environment, working with the staff, and communicating with the patients.
Last week, I was put in contact with a doctor who used to work here but now works at the University of Cape Town with the student population. I was curious as to why he left after working at Tafelsig Clinic for such a long time so I decided to meet up with him at the student health center in Observatory on a Friday. After speaking with him for half an hour about medicinal philosophy and overall healthcare in South Africa, I left with a whole new perspective on not only this career, but life in general. I found out that he left Tafelsig Clinic to make a larger impact in society. Although the clinic is very important in the health sector by helping people in desperate need of care, it must sacrifice the educational aspect of care due to the high volume of patients seen every day. He claimed that this hinders the holistic approach to medicine and preventative care that leads to chronic illnesses. By working at the university as a general practitioner, he believes that he has sufficient time to fully educate each patient while simultaneously targeting a young population that can be influenced towards a healthier lifestyle. In this way, the future population in need of chronic care can be reduced and thus lowering healthcare expenditure and improving individual lives. This perspective really grabbed my attention because it can be applied to many other sectors and issues in need of attention by targeting the sources of problems faced in society. Immediately from this encounter I knew that I wanted to learn more from his practice and philosophy. In the coming weeks I plan on shadowing him once a week in addition to my internship in order to gain a broader outlook on primary care while continuing to compare healthcare systems domestic and abroad.
Meika, Alex, Kelsey, Becky, Brandi, Lindiwe McClinton Rose, Nicole, Ryan, Nicole, Dan
(front row) Maria, Rebecca, Rina, Mackenzie
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