Each step is more exciting than the previous one as the destination comes more clearly into view. On Wednesday, 8 May, a delegation from North-West University (NWU) met with general practitioners and specialists in the private sector in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District to provide an overview of the university’s journey to implement the NWU Medical School.

The event, held at the C’est La Belle venue in Klerksdorp, also aimed to brief the practitioners on the modules that the Medical School will offer and to extend an invitation to participate in these modules on a voluntary basis.

Present from the NWU Medical School project team were Prof Awie Kotzé, executive dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences; Prof Petra Bester, director of the Africa Unit for Transdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR) and the operations lead of the NWU Medical School project team; and Prof Binu Luke, project lead of the NWU Medical School and chief specialist physician and technical adviser in the North West Department of Health.

Prof Bester opened the proceedings by saying, "I woke up this morning with the thought: 'It takes a village to raise a child.' It is going to take the whole province working together to make a success of the NWU Medical School."

Joining the event digitally Prof Bismark Tyobeka, principal and vice-chancellor of the NWU, reiterated the importance of meeting the stakeholders who will help make the endeavor successful. He also reaffirmed that the NWU is a society-centric university aiming to change not only the lives of people in the province but also those in South Africa and the world.

Prof Kotzé began his address by stating, "This must be done right from the beginning," emphasizing that there is no room for mistakes. He noted how the NWU is collaborating with role players and other medical schools across the country to develop a unique and appropriate medical curriculum tailored to the needs of South Africa.

Following him, Prof Luke outlined the remaining tasks and the vast scope of the project. He highlighted the unique attributes that a NWU Medical School graduate should possess, including being an effective communicator, socially conscious and community-oriented, an ethical team player, proficient in state-of-the-art technology, and a product of a collaborative effort between the North West Department of Health, North-West University, and the private sector, among others.

A similar event will be held at NWU’s Potchefstroom Campus on 28 May.