MEDICAL OFFICERS

The backbone of care, these doctors are multi-skilled generalists. Many are already part of the furniture, adding the kind of stability that makes sustained growth possible.

Dr Suretha Cilliers
Suretha graduated from Pretoria and did her community service in the Eastern Cape before a stint in Cape Town. Her love for the people and area didn’t leave her though and she returned in 2013. Her professional interests are in infectious diseases; she has a diploma in HIV. Together with her husband Ruan, she has founded a mentoring NGO called Sihamba Sonke. Although three young kids keep her rather busy, in a "previous life" she enjoyed a variety of outdoor pursuits. 

Dr Gareth Meyer
Gareth is a Wits graduate who did community service in Kimberley and then worked at Steve Biko Academic before joining us in 2014. With an interest in emergency medicine (he has a DipPEC), he is a strict generalist at heart, with a bias to medical things, but also likes cooking, English literature and general DIY. He is married to Nadisha.

Dr Nomthandazo Bikitsha
NomT joined us for community service in 2017 and stayed on. She's a Stellenbosch graduate and did her internship at the Pietermaritzburg Hospital Complex. She's most passionate about paediatrics - she recently obtained her DCH - and family medicine. Relaxation involves music or travel and she's a keen cyclist.

Dr John Michell
John also did his community service at Zithulele in 2017, after graduating from Pretoria and doing internship at Ngwelezana Hospital in Kwa-Zulu Natal. He is excited to finally be in genuinely rural practice. He has pioneered the era of blood donation at Zithulele. Passionate about his faith, he's also a keen sportsman and married to Jenny, who's helping out with the NGO Jabulani.

Dr Phatheka Ntaba
Phatheka did her community service at Zithulele in 2015 and stayed on in 2016, but took 2017 off for a round-the-world mission trip. Now she's back! She's a UCT graduate and interested in aspects of medicine as diverse as paediatrics, psychiatry and primary care. Faith and friends are important to her, as are relaxing with music or a good book.

Dr Kaylin Bouic
Kaylin did community service with us in 2017 and rejoined us after travelling overseas (can you spot a pattern?). She's a Pretoria graduate and interested in a wide variety of things in medicine - from paediatrics, to emergency medicine to internal medicine for adults. That's why rural medicine gives her so much joy. Outside of work, she's a keen birdwatcher. When it's not birdsong filling her life, she enjoys singing herself, playing the piano and is currently learning to play the guitar.

Dr Sino Booi
Sino did her community service in East London

Dr Nadisha Meyer
Nadisha grew up in Lesotho, but studied at Wits and worked in Kimberley before joining us. She is works as a part-time volunteer, currently heading up an ambitious TB project under the banner of NGO Jabulani. When faced with a medical problem she is happiest if she can cut it out and also really enjoys orthopaedics, but her MPH has broadened her horizons! She enjoys eating delicious food or watching cricket when their three boys and a daughter aren't keeping her hands full. 
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