A doctor in Burgersfort, Limpopo, is transforming needy patients’ lives by funding their surgeries through the sales of a popular township sandwich, called a kota, reports News24.
Dr Ephraim Kgoete has already helped seven underprivileged patients pay for minor operations, and aims to expand the programme through partnerships, sponsorships and government support.
Known as “Dr Ya Batho”, a Setswana name loosely translating to “the doctor of the people”, Kgoete (34) runs a mobile practice called Khayalami Medical Solutions where he offers services.
A kota is a popular township sandwich made from a quarter loaf of bread that is hollowed out and stuffed with different fillings: the GP, who also has a thriving weekend kota business, said he balances both ventures by scheduling minor surgical procedures based on how many patients he has per week, which allows him to plan when he can sell his kotas. If the procedures are major, he refers them to other specialists.
He said the initiative was inspired by what he had witnessed while working in the public sector.
“I know from experience that there are patients who have been booked for surgeries and placed on long waiting lists, but eventually, even if it’s their time to be operated on, they turn them away – for various reasons, like a lack of beds, a shortage of doctors, or prioritising of emergencies.”
In 2021, he developed the idea to help some of these patients, without it costing them.
“I did the first free procedure on a patient called Thomas, and it came out well without any issues,” he said. “I wanted to do the same for other patients.”
Kgoete has helped fund the surgeries of seven patients through the initiative, and has assisted others by providing subsidies to reduce their costs.
He said the project had given him and his team a sense of fulfilment, and that it made him happy to know someone’s life and dignity had been restored.
He hopes to expand Khayalami’s reach and to encourage collaboration between different stakeholders. “We want to see it as a larger centre, which will be able to help patients who are suffering – without them being delayed or denied access to early medical care and prevention of illnesses that could become more complicated.”
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