Dr Kelly Gate received the Rural Doctor of the Year Award at the weekend in recognition of his work in improving health care in rural areas.
When Dr Kelly Gate first arrived in Ubombo, Maputaland, to do his one-year community service with the Bethesda Hospital in 2003 he found the health-care service on the brink of collapse.
His love for this rural area spurred him on to work for an improvement of health care for local people.
At the weekend the Rural Doctors Association of Southern Africa presented him with the Rural Doctor of the Year Award in recognition of his “exceptional passion for rural communities”.
Gate’s supervisor, Dr Hervey Williams, a medical adviser in the Umkhanyakude district, said he did not think twice when he was asked to support Gate’s nomination for the award.
“Since he joined the hospital the maternity mortality rate has dropped from 3 percent to 1.3 percent. We have also reduced the stillborn rate,” he said.
“He likes working with rural communities. I guess this is what suits him the most. Some people, like him, like to work for small rural hospitals and make a remarkable difference, while many like to work for bigger urban hospitals and remain small fishes,” said Williams.
Gate was the third doctor in the district to receive the award.
In 2003, the award was made to Dr Victor Fredlund of Mseleni Hospital and in 2010 it was made to Dr Mmabatho Kikana of Hlabisa Hospital.
Williams said Gate had been nominated for his “excellent” job in improving health service delivery at the hospital.
“When he joined the hospital to do his community service there was only one permanent doctor and three community service doctors.
“Five clinics, which fall under this hospital, had no access to doctors and as a result, patients would travel more than 30km for consultations.
“The situation was bad,” said Williams.
After Gate had completed his community service he left the hospital, but returned in 2008 and stayed there for a year.
He then left the country to work in Britain.
Gate later returned and worked at a Durban hospital.
“When I had to find a doctor to work as medical manager for the Bethesda Hospital, I knew exactly who to approach.
“His love for rural communities made it easy for him to take the position,” Williams said.
Since his return in 2010, Gate has increased the number of doctors to 10 and all clinics have regular doctors’ visits.
Williams said the district still faced a shortage of permanent doctors, as those who came from Britain left after completing their one-year community service.
