UKZN Alumnus Brings Pharmacy Services Closer to the Community

BY: .

Residents of the Ugu District’s Izingolweni and Margate communities are receiving improved health care thanks to UKZN Pharmacy and MBA alumnus, Mr Mthokozisi Nyawose (31).

Now a budding entrepreneur, Nyawose took over Margate’s existing Medical Centre Pharmacy and opened Izingolweni’s first multidisciplinary medical centre: Thokoza Medical Centre.

‘The community now enjoys services from multiple health professionals,’ Nyawose said. ‘It now has a comprehensive and fully functional pharmacy with a vet section to help local subsistence farmers,’ he added.

Inspired by his close-knit family and professional nurse mother, the young go-getter took a keen interest in health care from a young age. ‘During our work experience in Grade 10 at Port Shepstone High School I worked at Grosvenor Pharmacy. I decided to try something that was not so popular and that’s when I approached Pharmacist Mr Steinberg for a work experience opportunity.’

Nyawose has not looked back since. ‘The sense of accomplishment is exhilarating, especially checking your results and realising you have passed all your final-year subjects within the prescribed period.’

He previously worked as an intern at Netcare’s Margate Private Hospital, did his community service in Northern KwaZulu-Natal and later became Deputy Responsible Pharmacist at National Bioproducts Institute where he was employed for six-years before starting his own business

‘I’m excited, scared, hopeful and also enthusiastic about how my community will benefit from the Izingolweni Medical Centre,’ Nyawose said. ‘Opening a new pharmacy is not easy.

‘I’m a firm believer that we all owe community service to the communities we grew up in. If we all had that mentality a lot of service delivery issues would not exist in South Africa.’

Nyawose thanked his friends and family, saying that he was now based full-time on the South Coast.

‘During my previous experience working as a locum pharmacist in places such as St Augustine’s Hospital in Durban, I have seen the need for after-hours healthcare especially from a pharmacy and thus I’m in the process of ensuring that the Margate branch will close at 20h00 everyday. We do endeavour to offer the best service till late as we possibly can. The pharmacy in Margate opens from 08h00 to 18h00 on weekdays, from 08h00 to 17h00 on Saturday and from 09h00 to 17h00 on Sunday.’

‘The one in Izingolweni operates from 08h00 to 17h00 on weekdays, 08h00 to 15h00 on Saturday, and from 08h00 to 13h00 on Sundays,’ he said. 

‘The Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences is exceptionally proud of Mr Nyawose and all that he is doing to improve pharmaceutical care services in the country,’ said Acting Head of Discipline, Professor Thirumala Govender,’ It is hoped he will inspire more of our graduates to follow in his footsteps.’

Lunga Memela