The passing of ophthalmologist Dr Noluthando Gadu Pupuma (22 April 1983 - 08 July 2022) due to breast cancer is a devastating loss to healthcare in KwaZulu-Natal, the communities she served, Netcare The Bay Hospital and all who knew her.
“On behalf of the staff and doctors at Netcare The Bay Hospital, we again convey our deepest condolences to Dr Noluthando Pupuma’s family, her husband Dr Xanti Pupuma, and their three children who survive her,” says Mduduzi Ngubane, general manager of Netcare The Bay Hospital.
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Dr Pupuma obtained her MBCHB and M.Med and FC Ophth at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and qualified as a specialist in 2015. Her career in eye health started as a medical officer at Ngwelezana Hospital and she later joined Edendale Hospital. She spent four years at Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg during her specialist training, then returned to Ngwelezana Hospital in 2015.
In 2018 Dr Pupuma started her own private practice at Netcare The Bay Hospital, where her husband also practises as lead gynaecologist, and she continued to serve the community through her sessional work at Ngwelezana Hospital. Dr Pupuma tragically lost her oldest son and her brother in a motor vehicle accident in May this year.
She was the first female black ophthalmologist to begin practising in the Richards Bay and Empangeni area and was known as a powerful advocate for women’s empowerment and served as inspiration to many.
“Dr Pupuma leaves a legacy as an exceptional, caring healthcare provider and respected ophthalmologist, who will forever be remembered for her passion for life and helping others to ‘see the world with new eyes’,” Ngubane concluded.
A memorial service for Dr Noluthando Pupuma will be held from 12h00 to 14h00 on Wednesday, 13 July 2022, at Ngwelezane Hospital Nurses Home Hall.
A church service to celebrate the life of Dr Noluthando Pupuma will be held at 09h00 on Friday, 15 July 2022, at St Andrew’s Anglican Church, 16 Elweboog Road, Meerensee, Richards Bay.
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Issued by: MNA on behalf of Netcare The Bay Hospital
For media enquiries, contact: Martina Nicholson, Meggan Saville, Clementine Forsthofer and Estene Lotriet-Vorster
Telephone: (011) 469 3016
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