"A woman's death cripples the community" - Prof Mfundo Mabenge

When it comes to gynaecological oncology, Prof Mfundo Mabenge knows that early detection and prevention of cancer are often more effective than aggressive treatment later down the line.

The Discovery Foundation in 2020 gave him an Academic Fellowship Award to complete his doctorate in obstetrics and gynaecology in the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand.

Prof Mabenge says saving women's lives is a public health issue. "A death of a woman in a family does not just cripple that family, but it also affects the entire community and the future of children," he says.

Expanding local knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer

This belief has led him to doing extensive research on the knowledge of doctors and nurses on the human papillomavirus vaccine and on cervical cancer. He has also done research on cervical cancer in women with HIV and the outcomes of women with vulvar cancer, a type of cancer found on the outer surface of female genitals.

It has been a long and fascinating journey for this professor, who is based at Dora Nginza Hospital in Port Elizabeth.

"Education was the only way out of poverty"

"I was the tenth and last of my mother's children and was born and raised in Port Elizabeth [Gqeberha]," Prof Mabenge says. "My mother never had the opportunity to attend school, and my father had completed Standard 3 [today's Grade 5]. My mother sold vegetables and old clothes that she had collected."

"My parents knew the value of education, and that it was the only way out of poverty. They made sure we stayed in school, and today seven of my siblings are also graduates. My mother even found a way to pay for my first year as a BSc student at the University of the Western Cape, after which I managed to get a bursary," Prof Mabenge adds.

He majored in chemistry and biology, before going to the Medical University of South Africa, where he completed his medical degree in 1995. After that, he specialised in obstetrics and gynaecology, and completed an MMed degree at the University of Pretoria in 2007. He also has an MA degree in Health and Welfare Management and a master's degree in Labour Law from the Nelson Mandela University in Port Elizabeth.

He is married to Ntuthu Mahonga-Mabenge, who is an advocate, and they have three children, two girls and a boy, of which the eldest is studying medicine in Cuba. In his free time, which he admits is relatively limited, he likes to spend time with his family, and he enjoys running and reading. "I can't go to sleep at night unless I have spent some time reading," he says.

Prof Mabenge has registered to do his doctorate at the University of the Witwatersrand's Faculty of Health Sciences. From 2016, he has been an associate professor at Walter Sisulu University.

Training of young specialists a priority

"I am currently the chief specialist in obstetrics and gynaecology at Dora Nginza Hospital, where I am involved with the training of specialists in obstetrics and also advanced midwifery. I feel it is very important to train and empower others to carry on the work when I am no longer there," Prof Mabenge says.

He feels very strongly about the promotion of women's health issues in the Eastern Cape. There is a tremendous need for gynaecological oncology services in the Eastern Cape, especially in the rural areas where it is difficult for women to access healthcare services. He does regular outreach work and screenings in the area.

For his doctorate, Prof Mabenge will explore adverse pregnancy outcomes at Dora Nginza Hospital. He will evaluate the contributing factors to these outcomes and assess potential strategies to reduce women's risk.

After his doctorate, Prof Mabenge wants to complete a master's degree in theology.

"I often deal with dying patients and their family members. These studies, together with a graduate certificate in ministry, will help me to provide some spiritual guidance to those in my care, should they need it," Prof Mabenge concludes.

This article was created for the 2020 Discovery Foundation Awards and has been edited for the Discovery Magazine. Previously published in The Herald.