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Dr Nonceba Koranteng

From a young age my father inspired me to pursue a career in medicine. He was a physiotherapist and most of his friends were also in the medical field, so I had exposure to this world from a young age. From early childhood, I wanted to take care of people and had an interest in health. I also considered being a social worker.

From the third year of medical school, you get exposure to the different disciplines, but there was not a dedicated block for radiology. I however had a family member who was a radiologist, and this really interested me because it involves technology and innovation.

I ultimately chose to specialise in radiology because it has so much possibility for assisting people through non-invasive means and the diagnoses are the core of guiding surgeons and physicians in treating patients.

Particularly important in Africa is the potential radiology holds for prevention and screening, especially in communities where people do not have much access. Women are still dying of breast cancer – but many more lives could be saved through increased access to screening.

I met my business partners, fellow radiologists Dr Palesa Mutshutshu and Dr Jacinta Adrigwe, at university and as women studying the same discipline together, we had similar passions and aspirations. We qualified together and have worked together on research too. We had a natural bond.

There are not many female radiologists, and even fewer black female radiologists. We felt the need to move into business. And so it began, we attended many meetings, knocked on a lot of doors and started networking trying to find our niche.

We shared our profile with anyone who would listen, and that is how Netcare got to hear of us. Netcare was looking for radiologist partners to help grow an optical stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimetry service that monitors the radiation doses of radiation workers. As we understand the field of dosimetry, and the need for radiation monitoring, we became 51% shareholders in an enterprise and supplier development partnership with Netcare.

Dr Palesa Mutshutshu

I grew up in the village of Moruleng outside Rustenburg, and not many people from there get the opportunity to go to university, let alone become medical specialists and business owners. I feel we have a responsibility to encourage and inspire others.

Initially, I wanted to be a physiotherapist but I took a four year nursing degree instead. In 2000, someone believed in me and saw potential in me and I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to work in a cardiothoracic intensive care unit [ICU].  I gained more insight into healthcare in this environment, and I met a group of clever young nurses who encouraged me to step out and pursue medicine.
 
I enrolled on the Wits’ graduate entry medical programme, and once I found myself in medicine. I wanted career growth and to keep learning, so I started specialising in radiology.

My motivation is to keep seeking out opportunity. We wanted more than to be working in healthcare and explored more ways to contribute to the bigger picture. I wanted to build a legacy for my daughter, and to make a name for black women in medicine, in radiology and in health ownership representivity.

OSL technology has become the international standard in dosimetry monitoring, however previously there was no other approved local provider of personal radiation monitoring devices using this more advanced technology in South Africa.

Over the years, it has not been easy to get to where we are today. We dreamed of starting our own radiology practice, but soon we realised it would require huge start up capital and that there is a lot of competition in this space already. We started knocking on doors and growing our network, and this is what eventually led to Netcare noticing RAD Imaging Africa and our partnership with Netcare to establish and grow Dosimeter Services to offer the OSL dosimetry service.

Dr Jacinta Adrigwe

I descend from parents in the medical field, and this has had a significant influence on me. From the very frequent discussions about medicine at home, to waiting for my father at his clinic after school while mingling with staff and patients, medicine is the life I have always known.

From an early age I became comfortable with the medical environment with my parents working in healthcare in other African countries as well as in Umtata in the Eastern Cape and then Thohoyandou in Limpopo, before I moved to Gauteng.

As I got to know the field of medicine and its duties, the more I got absorbed in its purpose. I also wanted to save lives.

The reality is, I find the whole of medicine fascinating. The wealth of knowledge is like an ocean that keeps growing, and I happen to find myself to be curious about all of it. So when the time came to choose a speciality, I wanted one that would enable me to still peer into the breadth of the subfields of medicine, and radiology is a discipline that is at the intersection of all others.

As a radiologist, throughout my day, I am connected with surgeons, paediatricians, emergency physicians, urologists, pulmonologists, psychiatrists and many others in diverse fields of healthcare. In radiology, I have my fulfilment.

As a radiologist, I myself am exposed to ionising radiation daily in my workplace. As we use radiation through medical technology to deepen our understanding of the inner parts of the human being, healthcare workers are inevitably exposed to a cumulative dose of radiation while attending to patients.