TRICHARDT – Dr Gcina Sihlanga, who has been helping out at Mediclinic Highveld in Trichardt occasionally, decided to open his own practice at this hospital.
He recently moved from Gauteng to Trichardt where he is working as a specialist general surgeon, offering progressive evidence-based surgical services in the fields of gastrointestinal surgery, soft tissue, breast surgery, colonic surgery and other general surgical procedures and conditions.
He grew up on the East Rand in Gauteng and matriculated at Daveyton.
After he finished school, he went to the University of KwaZulu-Natal where he studied towards a medical degree which he finished in five years.
He did his doctor’s internship in Ladysmith for two years and later went to Tembisa Hospital to do his community service.
He specialised in general surgery at the Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University.
After specialising in general surgery, he went back to Tembisa Hospital where he was involved in the academics and day to day operations of the general surgery department of the hospital.
Dr Sihlanga trained undergraduate medical students from the University of Pretoria, was involved in research and taking care of trauma and general surgical patients in the intensive care unit of the hospital.
He gained extensive clinical experience in the general surgery field and especially trauma during his time at Thembisa Hospital.
“Besides Thembisa Hospital being very busy, it was an academic hospital with a vast patient population with many surgical conditions and trauma cases and it increased my exposure and training,” said Dr Sihlanga.
His main passion when it comes to the hospital, is to do minimal invasive surgery (laparoscopic procedures).
He also has a special interest in trauma management in the endoscopic and surgical sides of it.
One mission that he wants to accomplish by the end of March, is to be able to do gastroscopes and colonoscopies at affordable rates to accommodate low-income earners.
Dr Sihlanga is planning to launch a multidisciplinary weight loss programme that will include dieticians, physicians, psychologists and surgeons to name a few.
He believes that the community, especially people with chronic conditions such as diabetes, mellitus and hypertension and other metabolic conditions which is common in patients with obesity, will benefit from such a programme.
This programme will be affordable to patients whose medical aids do not cover such programmes.
He can also help patients with workman’s compensation cases and road accident fund cases.
Dr Sihlaga is an avid vintage car collector and that is one of his hobbies that keeps him busy if he is not working.
He has a motorcycle and was a keen biker, but nowadays he shies away from this hobby because his family is concerned about his safety on the roads with a motorcycle.
He is looking forward to serving the community inside and outside of the hospital for many years to come.
