One of the great minds in South African medical schools has retired. Walter Sisulu University’s (WSU) director of School of Medicine, Professor Alex Nganwa-Bagumah, 69,
is finally bowing out after 30 years of unbroken service. A farewell function to honour Nganwa-Bagumah was held at East London’s Regent hotel on Saturday.
Many of those who attended said he had had a positive influence on many medical practitioners in the country and abroad. Nganwa-Bagumah told the audience he was humbled by the occasion and had “never regretted his stay in Transkei”.
“I loved my students and in return they loved me back. We’ve produced great medical doctors but the years were not all smooth as there were challenges. For instance we resisted the ‘pass one-pass all’ system and that saw many students who had their difficulties in their studies coming to thank me for making sure that they got everything right,” said Nganwa-Bagumah.
“Today, government involvement can help to produce great students of medicine”.
Retired Professor Marina Xaba-Mokoena, the main organiser of the event, said Nganwa-Bagumah was one of the founding members of the medical faculty at the university.
“We come from a time that rural areas in particular the then Transkei could never be imagined as having a fully-fledged medical faculty. This took place amid all criticism and exclamations,” said Xaba-Mokoena.
Xaba-Mokoena said when they started the faculty, the main focus was to produce community-orientated medical practitioners.
Nganwa-Bagumah was initially based in Lesotho having qualified as a specialist surgeon in surgery and sub-speciality in urology in Edinburgh (Scotland), with a basic degree from Uganda’s Makerere University before he was recruited to run the then-University of Transkei medical school.
“When he came he found literally nothing. There was no building, no cadavers, no syllabus and no laboratories and all this he had to plan from scratch, individually,” said Xaba-Mokoena.
Despite many challenges, Nganwa-Bagumah managed to pull through and has since produced more than 2000 medical doctors and more than 120 specialists.
A former student Dr Mbulelo Renene, a specialist surgeon, said he was honoured to have been taught by Nganwa-Bagumah. “His country lent us a great giant. We are honoured to have a person of such calibre and mentor, we greatly appreciate to have been his students,” said Renene.
Dr Nompilontle Majova a specialist physician at Frere Hospital said she was lucky to have had Nganwa-Bagumah as a teacher.
WSU interim vice-chancellor Professor Khaya Mfenyana said the university was sad to “let go” of Nganwa-Bagumah. He said the school was a medical school with a difference, thanks to Nganwa-Bagumah. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
Great medical mind retires
is finally bowing out after 30 years of unbroken service. A farewell function to honour Nganwa-Bagumah was held at East London’s Regent hotel on Saturday.
Many of those who attended said he had had a positive influence on many medical practitioners in the country and abroad. Nganwa-Bagumah told the audience he was humbled by the occasion and had “never regretted his stay in Transkei”.
“I loved my students and in return they loved me back. We’ve produced great medical doctors but the years were not all smooth as there were challenges. For instance we resisted the ‘pass one-pass all’ system and that saw many students who had their difficulties in their studies coming to thank me for making sure that they got everything right,” said Nganwa-Bagumah.
“Today, government involvement can help to produce great students of medicine”.
Retired Professor Marina Xaba-Mokoena, the main organiser of the event, said Nganwa-Bagumah was one of the founding members of the medical faculty at the university.
“We come from a time that rural areas in particular the then Transkei could never be imagined as having a fully-fledged medical faculty. This took place amid all criticism and exclamations,” said Xaba-Mokoena.
Xaba-Mokoena said when they started the faculty, the main focus was to produce community-orientated medical practitioners.
Nganwa-Bagumah was initially based in Lesotho having qualified as a specialist surgeon in surgery and sub-speciality in urology in Edinburgh (Scotland), with a basic degree from Uganda’s Makerere University before he was recruited to run the then-University of Transkei medical school.
“When he came he found literally nothing. There was no building, no cadavers, no syllabus and no laboratories and all this he had to plan from scratch, individually,” said Xaba-Mokoena.
Despite many challenges, Nganwa-Bagumah managed to pull through and has since produced more than 2000 medical doctors and more than 120 specialists.
A former student Dr Mbulelo Renene, a specialist surgeon, said he was honoured to have been taught by Nganwa-Bagumah. “His country lent us a great giant. We are honoured to have a person of such calibre and mentor, we greatly appreciate to have been his students,” said Renene.
Dr Nompilontle Majova a specialist physician at Frere Hospital said she was lucky to have had Nganwa-Bagumah as a teacher.
WSU interim vice-chancellor Professor Khaya Mfenyana said the university was sad to “let go” of Nganwa-Bagumah. He said the school was a medical school with a difference, thanks to Nganwa-Bagumah. — bonganif@dispatch.co.za
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