Meet Alberlito’s newest surgeon

Netcare Alberlito Hospital has a new face in its halls.

Neurosurgeon Dr Nad Govender recently joined the hospital after relocating to the seaside town of Ballito this year.

The soft-spoken physician started his medical career as a doctor in 1976, serving his two-year internship at Northdale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg.

It was then he saw a desperate need for qualified neurosurgeons.

“The hospital is near the N3 freeway and I witnessed many accident victims come in, but nobody could help them. At the time there were only two neurosurgeons in KwaZulu-Natal and I knew the shortage was dire. In 1980 I started studying again, finishing my degree in neurosurgery.”

Dr Govender’s fascination in the control mechanism of the human body, with special interest in spine surgery, easily places him among some of the best neurosurgeons in the province.

Amid his surgeries he finds time to lecture part-time and mentor young doctors at the College of Medicine.

The most rewarding part of being a neurosurgeon, he says, is seeing a patient make a full recovery.

“There is no greater feeling that watching someone get better. When they live and become functional after a trauma, it is fantastic to see. As a surgeon I will go as far as I need to, to help my patients.”

When he is not in theatre Dr Govender spends his time gyming or hiking. He fancies a few rounds of golf and is also quite fond of wildlife, particularly birding.

“It is something I have passed to my children and grandchildren. We go birding once a month.”

Greytown-born Dr Govender has settled in Ballito, and loves the familial atmosphere at Alberlito.

“There is always a smile in the corridors of Alberlito. My colleagues are happy and that makes it a warm environment to work in.”