Meharry Medical College and South Africa medical school collaboration takes on inequities

As a South African studying medicine in a Nashville, Tennessee medical school, this collaboration is not just institutional, it is personal.

Nuha Bagus, Guest Columnist at The Tennessean

Meharry Medical College received the distinct honor of welcoming a delegation from our sister institution, Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University (SMU) in South Africa.

This visit on Aug. 29 marks a historic moment in the relationship between our two institutions, rooted in shared histories of struggle, perseverance, and commitment to the health and well-being of marginalized communities.

Both institutions were born out of circumstances shaped by systemic oppression and a profound need for self-determination.

Meharry was established in 1876 as the first medical school for African Americans in the South, at a time when Black Americans were systematically denied access to medical education.

Similarly, SMU, named after a South African anti-apartheid activist and politician, serves as a beacon of hope and progress for historically disadvantaged populations in South Africa.

Apartheid and enslavement created deep inequities in healthcare

Both schools were founded to address the glaring disparities in healthcare education and services for people of color.

The legacy of apartheid in South Africa created deep inequities that continue to affect the nation's healthcare system today, and the echoes of slavery and segregation in the United States similarly perpetuated disparities in health outcomes for Black communities.

Our shared mission is to heal these wounds, not just through medical practice, but by training a new generation of healthcare and public health professionals.

Dr. Annye C. Buck, associate professor of anatomy at Meharry Medical College, will head a research program trying to uncover changes in ribonucleic acid in the body's lymphoid tissue as a result of organ and tissue transplants. Dr. Buck working in her lab on Jan. 7, 1964, is part of the project that is being financed by a grant from the National Institutes of Health. Jimmy Ellis / The Tennessean

We need leaders who understand and are committed to transforming health services and education through excellence, innovation, and community engagement.

My country’s healthcare system neglected my family

As a second-year medical student at Meharry Medical College with dreams of becoming a pediatric oncologist, I often reflect on the path that has brought me here.

Daniel E. Dawes, founder of Meharry Medical School's new School of Global Health, welcomes the inaugural class. Provided by Meharry Medical School.

I happened to be born in Cape Town, South Africa, while my parents were visiting my father's family. Shortly after my birth, we moved to Port Elizabeth, or Gqeberha, a small beach city that became my first home.

I was raised with the knowledge of how my family who continues to live in South Africa would regularly be affected by the healthcare inequities still present in South African healthcare. The knowledge of how my family who remembers what it was like to be exploited by the healthcare system in apartheid continues to not trust government hospitals today.

Meharry and SMU are working with Project C.U.R.E. on a joint project

For me, the visit of our South African colleagues is not just an institutional event, but a personal one. It represents the convergence of my own South African roots with my commitment to healthcare in the United States. The collaboration between Meharry and SMU is a powerful reminder that, despite the miles that separate us, our goals and struggles are intertwined.

This visit from SMU coincides with the start of the Meharry’s School of Global Health, marking a significant milestone for both institutions that will be the start of a long impactful, collaboration.

This visit is further distinguished by a collaboration with Project C.U.R.E., through which a container filled with essential medical supplies and equipment will be sent to an SMU-affiliated region in South Africa. This initiative is particularly historic as it represents the first time Project C.U.R.E. will send a container to South Africa, and the first joint project between Meharry and SMU. This collaboration embodies our shared commitment to addressing global health disparities and to advancing the health and well-being of underserved communities.

To mark this historic visit, we invite you, our Nashville community, to join us in helping to give a warm welcome to our guests from SMU with a community reception being held on August 29th at 4:00 pm at the Stanley S. Kresge Learning Resources Center, Meharry Library and Archives, 2001 Albion Street Nashville. Please RSVP at this Eventbrite link.

Nuha Bagus is a second-year medical student at Meharry Medical College who is from South Africa. She is interested in becoming a pediatric oncologist, currently serving as secretary on the E-board for Meharry’s Oncology Interest Group.

The Tennessean originally posted this article on Aug 27, 2024. To read the original, please open this link: https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/contributors/2024/08/27/nashville-meharry-south-africa-medical-schools-health-inequities/74968100007/