Melomed Private Hospital Group and Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has collaborated to improve the quality of graduates, by providing training to several 4th and 5th year medical students. An agreement between the two institutions was signed at Melomed’s Gateville facility on Friday morning.
Chairman of Melomed Ebrahim Bhorat and executive head at the Department of Medicine at Stellenbosch Prof Rafique Moosa secured ongoing support and collaboration between the institutions, following success from a 2017 venture. The signing of a memorandum of understanding officiated their partnership.
Bhorat said as a facility they’re proud: “It is amazing that after 30 years we have developed such a valuable core of doctors and nurses who are competent to train future doctors.”
The training consists of three to four students spending four weeks assisting the highly skilled and qualified Specialists with their rounds and patients throughout the year.
One of the hospitals Specialist Physicians Dr Zaraina Solomons said the training aims to expose students to a health-system that works to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs. She added that students will also be trained in direct patient care evaluations, monitoring patient responses and successful discharge.
One of the students, 4th year Aliya Gani, says her experience has been very unique and profound:
“It’s a completely different pathology compared to state hospitals. The greatest experience has been training with the consultants here. As there’s only three of us, we get a lot of one-on-one time and I feel that’s been a great help.”
Gani added that the training has assisted in giving her a better overall understanding of what it means to be a doctor.
“It provides us with a platform to experience a different level of care and it just gives you a more well-rounded approach to interact with patients and have a more solid foundation that can enable you to work in any setting.”
Prof Moosa said this program is pivotal in giving students the opportunity to receive quality education and improving doctor-patient relationships.
“The emphasis is on clinical teaching. We don’t need lectures because that they get at the university. But here is exposure to patients and bedside learning that will be taking place. Students learn from doctors, how to speak to patients and break bad news etc. Students can now develop those softer skills that are very difficult to teach.”
The agreement is expected to prompt partnership to more of Melomed‘s facilities, such as those in Mitchells Plain, Tokai and Bellville.
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