Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu has gone some way in fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor by working side by side with medical students at Stellenbosch University.
Going to lectures with students of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health and learning how to recognise symptoms of childhood diseases in the skills lab at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences has become part of Tutu's life over the past few months.
"I've been going to lectures and working with dedicated young students. I've always wanted to be a doctor and now I've had the opportunity to see what it's like," he said.
The Archbishop has been quietly going to lectures and becoming just another member of the class. He has been to four long sessions, covering childhood TB, cancer, kidney conditions and working with premature babies.
At the department's skills lab, he used a stethoscope and worked on a simulated doll to learn how to diagnose conditions.
Part-time lecturer Dr Marlene Morkel said she was very impressed with the interest her new student had shown, as well as his natural ability.
"He was very good at listening to the chest and picking up abnormal signs on the sim doll. He has a natural affinity for picking up clinical signs. For a first-timer, he was fantastic. I was very surprised. He was also enthusiastic and asked appropriate questions."
The Archbishop Emeritus had approached Professor Nulda Beyers from the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health about his idea of learning what it was like to become a doctor.
Tutu said he had been accepted into Wits University to study medicine as a young man, but that his family could not afford to pay the fees. He instead went into the ministry, but had always wondered what it would have been like had he become a doctor.
Tutu said he was moved by the commitment shown by the medical students at Stellenbosch University.
"I'm so impressed with the passion and care these aspiring doctors show to their young patients, and how committed they are," he said.
In their advanced years of study, medical students work under the supervision of the paediatricians at the Tygerberg Children's Hospital.
The Archbishop said he was also very impressed with the dedication shown by the professors and lecturers.
"They were incredibly helpful. You can see how determined they are to make sure that all of their students pass and do well.
"You're very fortunate. They give you remarkable support," Tutu told his classmates.
Tutu visited the acute admissions ward for newborns for one of his sessions, where neonatologist Prof Johan Smith talked about the risks facing premature babies. The ward cares for babies weighing under 1,000 grams.
The Arch showed interest in how the babies were treated with expensive but often life-saving medication, and by keeping them warm and hydrated.
At the end of the session Professor Rob Gie presented Tutu with a stethoscope with his name engraved on it. It was sponsored by the Tygerberg Children's Hospital Trust, which raises much-needed funds to upgrade facilities and buy technologically advanced equipment at the hospital, where 16,000 babies and children are admitted every year.
Gie called the former Nobel prize winner an 'honorary doctor'.
"You have been an inspiration to the students, to the staff and to the patients," he said.
5th year medical student Annika Roux said it had been wonderful to meet the Nobel prize winner.
"He lights up the room when he starts laughing and asking questions. It was also so nice to see him show his support. It raises awareness of these tiny patients. They are so vulnerable and they need as much help to recover as possible."
She said she felt privileged to be studying medicine at Stellenbosch University.
"It such a great opportunity to be a doctor, especially in South Africa, where the need for doctors, especially in public hospitals, is so high."
Professor Mariana Kruger, head of department of Paediatrics and Child Health said that the staff had been inspired by Tutu during his time at the hospital.
"The staff were inspired by the interest, humility and loving interaction of Archbishop Tutu with everyone he came into contact with. He made time for everyone and posed for photographs very patiently with people from all walks of life in the paediatric wards."
Professor Kruger said the Tygerberg Children's Hospital as well as the Desmond Tutu TB Centre at Stellenbosch University were very honoured to have the Archbishop Emeritus as their patron.
CAPTION:
Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu works on the simulated doll under the watchful eye of part-time lecturer Dr Marlene Morkel. (Photographer: Hermien Nel)
