Discovery South Africa

Many GPs have understood that their patients are extremely anxious about the risk of exposure to COVID-19 at their doctor’s rooms, and will avoid seeing their doctor even if they have a medical issue that requires attention. Dr Charlene de Greef, a GP based at Mayo Clinic in Johannesburg, has recently embraced online consultations, done through Discovery DrConnect, to allow her to continue to care for existing patients and to manage patients who develop possible symptoms of COVID-19 in a way that keeps everyone’s risk of exposure to the disease at a minimum. Find out why DrConnect has become an invaluable tool in managing all patients in the time of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the uptake of telehealth technologies and remote consultation with patients using telephonic or virtual platforms. These platforms have existed for a long time, but the time of COVID-19 and increased physical distancing, they have become indispensable to patient care. Psychiatrist, Prof. Christoffel Grobler shares his insights on the ways in which telehealth platforms are emerging as an effective and sustainable solution to stem the spread of the COVID-19 virus and how telehealth may change the face of doctor-patient consultations long-term. Prof. Grobler is an Associate Professor at Walter Sisulu University and Member of the South African Medical Association Committee for Human Rights, Law and Ethics. Unpacking Telehealth Transcript.pdf — PDF (48.3 KB)

In the coming weeks and months, even more businesses will resume operations and employees will return to their places of work. What should employers and their staff understand about COVID‑19 to stay healthy, and to prevent discrimination in the workplace against individuals affected by COVID‑19? Dr Ahmad Haeri Mazanderani is a clinical virologist in the Centre for HIV and STIs at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg. He explains what we need to know about dealing with COVID‑19 in the workplace, and supporting those who return to work once they have recovered from COVID‑19.

In her role as Head of Corporate Sustainability at Discovery, Ruth Lewin has made it her mission to apply Discovery’s expertise, intellectual capital and corporate network in such a way that her team has redefined corporate social investment as we know it. Ruth and Azania delve into examples of several brilliant projects and initiatives funded by Discovery, and how the funding models at play have created lasting partnerships, for maximum benefit of the people each initiative serves.

In Sepedi, “Hlokomela” means “to care”. And, that is exactly what the Hlokomela healthcare project does for low-income employees on farms, in nature conservation and tourism in Limpopo and Mpumalanga. Azania chats to Hlokomela’s founder, Christine du Preez, to find out just how this award-winning HIV and AIDS educational and treatment programme has been running successfully for 14 years, reaching an estimated 25 000 people annually. Azania also speaks to Head of Corporate Sustainability at Discovery, Ruth Lewin to find out how Discovery has partnered with, and funded Hlokomela to expand the project’s services. Then, Azania is joined by Wits University’s Dr Jacqui Miot to find out the results of research commissioned by The Discovery Fund to explore Hlokomela’s remarkable success and how this can be applied at scale.

Dentist, Dr Sabelo Mngomezulu, grew up herding cattle, expecting to drop out of school and work on the mines. Today he has pristine dental rooms at Mosvold Hospital and his patients access a standard of dental care they never imagined possible in a rural area. Azania’s interview this UYDF graduate is exceptionally moving. As a student, Dr Mngomezulu made a poor decision to defraud UYDF. This almost cost him his career. How did he get back on track and make amends?

Then, Azania chats to a medical student, in the thick of the challenges that come with university life and finishing his degree. Dumisani Mthembu is currently completing his 6th year of medicine and, without the support of UYDF’s mentorship programme and funding from Discovery, he would have found himself on a very different path.

She is a medical officer, chair of the Rural Doctors Association of South Africa, an UYDF graduate and trustee, as well as a princess of the Nxumalo royal clan. Dr Lungile Nxumalo’s passion for rural healthcare knows no bounds. And, it all started with the support she received from UYDF. She shares her remarkable story with Azania.

Young people in rural areas usually attend under-resourced schools and end up working on mines or herding cattle. What would happen if they could finish school, go to university and return as qualified healthcare professionals (many of them medical doctors) to turn local hospitals into institutions of healthcare excellence? Unheard of? The Umthombo Youth Development Foundation (UYDF) has, since 2001, made this scenario a reality. Azania interviews UYDF founder, Professor Andrew Ross (he is also Principal Specialist in Family Medicine at the University of KwaZulu Natal) and UYDF’s Student Manager Ntombi Mkhize.

Raising healthy children is one of the toughest challenges facing today’s parents. That’s why this podcast is a must-listen for parents and caregivers of children and young teens. Azania speaks to three experts - paediatrician, Dr Hanneke Heyns; Principal clinical specialist and Head of Research at Vitality South Africa, Dr Deepak Patel; and specialist child and adolescent psychiatrist, Dr Wendy Duncan. They share brilliant insights and tools to navigate a child’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing both now and into adulthood. Raising Healthy Children Transcript.pdf — PDF (289.5 KB)

For many moms, pre- and post-natal depression (also called perinatal depression) and other mood disorders, make the process of a growing and caring for a baby a very challenging time. The truth is that a mother’s mental and physical health are intricately linked to her baby’s health. Specialist psychiatrist Dr Bavi Vythilingum, shares key insights with Azania about how moms might better understand their emotions, and how to support a mom who is struggling to cope.