Behind an enormous desk in a tiny office with walls covered in certificates showing his many academic achievements, Dr Mfundo Mabenge has for more than a decade been fighting for the pregnant moms in his care.

Now he is winning.

The head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Dora Nginza Hospital in Nelson Mandela Bay, Mabenge is an obstetrician and gynaecologist who has specialised further into gynaecological oncology.

He completed a BSc degree at the University of the Western Cape and followed up with an MBChB at Medunsa in North West (now Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University). He then received a diploma in obstetrics. He also holds a diploma in labour law from Nelson Mandela University, a master’s degree in medicine from the University of Pretoria, one in health and welfare management from NMU and an LLM in labour law from NMU.

Although the feisty doctor’s mood might fluctuate between elation and despair, his reason for doing his job has never changed: “If a woman dies, you hurt a whole community.”

“Maybe now I can start planning to retire,” he laughs as he recounts how his team, after two tough years, is turning the tide with the help of the Eastern Cape health department, the national government and the Clinton Foundation.

Read in Daily Maverick: “Nelson Mandela Bay community steps in as crises hit embattled Dora Nginza paediatric hospital”

Since taking over as the head of obstetrics and gynaecology, Mabenge has trained 22 new obstetricians and gynaecologists and two gynaecological oncologists. His team delivers 700 babies a month.

The past two years have been traumatic for the team, ever since provincial maternity services collapsed in the first wave of Covid-19 (in May and June of 2020), with doctors not even having proper theatre coats. The garments supplied were too small and had to be cut so obstetricians could get their hands through the sleeves.

As obstetric units at clinics throughout Eastern Cape closed, sick women flooded the city’s maternity unit, overwhelming staff and doctors.

In 2022 the unit was hit by a violent and debilitating strike during which women had to be evacuated at night to another hospital.

Read in Daily Maverick: “Breathing easier: How Madwaleni Hospital started producing its own oxygen”

Pregnant women came to Dora Nginza Hospital to give birth from all over the western part of Eastern Cape and the unit was often not the safe place Mabenge wanted it to be.

When he received his award for Best Frontline Doctor at a recent departmental award ceremony, Mabenge was ecstatic. It crowned months of intense turnaround work in his unit.

“It is good to have support,” he said. “There has been tremendous improvement in our outcomes, both for deliveries and for moms after giving birth.”

He explained that he had managed to employ more nurses and doctors could now run two theatres for C-sections. Before, there had only been enough staff for one operating theatre.

Mabenge said a key to improving outcomes was sending two specialists to do surgeries in Makhanda and Humansdorp, ensuring pregnant women did not have to travel long distances to get help. It also lessened overcrowding at Dora Nginza Hospital.

Dr Mfundo Mabenge said there has been ‘tremendous improvement in our outcomes, both for deliveries and for moms after giving birth’. (Photo: Shelley Christians / Discovery)

Mabenge revealed that his unit had resumed training more doctors.

“I am happy to tell you that we have trained two specialists from the Southern African Development Community. One came from Uganda and the other was from Zimbabwe.”

He said he was excited to see doctors coming through the Nelson Mandela University Medical School. “I like that this medical school will produce doctors who are community orientated,” he explained.

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Doctors from rural hospitals are being trained in how to improve outcomes and to make sure they are able to help in emergencies, he added.

“We need continued support and I am relieved to say we are getting it from the current head of the Eastern Cape department of health, Dr Rolene Wagner.

“We can now cope with what we have to do. The morale is high. We are leading by example. If there is a problem, we know there is someone we can turn to.”

Cancer fight

He said increased staffing also eased the burden on long-suffering nurses.

With the crisis in the maternity unit easing, Mabenge has been able to turn his attention to clinics for diagnosing and treating women with cervical cancer and doing outreach work in rural areas.

“I don’t want anybody to die of this. It is entirely preventable,” he said.

The Clinton Health Initiative has been running a project with South Africa’s national Department of Health and the Eastern Cape department to strengthen screening, monitoring and treatment of cervical cancer in the region.

With an estimated cervical cancer incidence rate of 33 in 100,000 patients – according to 2017 figures from the cancer registry – the province is above the national average.

There is also a high incidence of HIV in women in the province, a condition that increases the risk of cervical cancer.

The project involves providing doctors with access to portable machines for screening, the training of healthcare workers and the provision of patient monitoring tools.

Wagner commended Mabenge’s team and the Clinton Health Access Initiative for the early positive results of this project in the Nelson Mandela Bay area.

“It demonstrates our commitment to ensure that we provide the best and safest care for our moms and babies,” said Wagner.

“We intend to upscale and roll this methodology out across our province. Safe outcomes for moms and babies also decreases our risk of medico-legal litigation,” she added. DM168

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R25.