The best medicine keeps health sciences moving

It's not without a tinge of guilt that Riaad Moosa steps onto the stage to entertain with his unique brand of humour.

But the famous irreverence was barely visible when the comedian and actor visited his alma mater, UCT's Faculty of Health Sciences, to commemorate the donation of a car on 12 March. A production of Moosa's show, Keeping You in Stiches, raised about R200, 000 in late 2012 and was donated to the faculty for use as it saw fit.

"I've been [feeling] very guilty about not practising medicine in a country that really requires medical skills," confessed Moosa, who graduated as a medical doctor in 2001. "So, a good middle ground is to do shows to raise funds for medical education."

Associate Professor Derek Hellenberg, head of the Division of Family Medicine, said that the faculty decided to purchase a new Toyota Avanza 1.5 for student transport, this to commemorate its centenary year in 2012.

"This fills a gap which will address a shortage of vehicles due to an increased number of students using the Vredenburg training site," Hellenberg reported. "Now we have adequate transport to and from Cape Town and at the site."

Students from a range of departments within the faculty, including audiology and speech-language pathology participate in a rural health clinical rotation at UCT's clinical teaching site in Vredenburg. The site provides invaluable services to the community while developing the students' clinical skills.

Moosa adds: "There is a lot of need [for medical assistance] in Vredenburg, but also a lot of learning opportunities [for students], particularly in the rural setting."

Rondebosch Medical Centre, which sponsored the fundraising drive, plans to host Keeping You in Stitches annually for the faculty's benefit. N1 City Toyota also donated a significant discount to the car's purchase price.