Tongaat Doctor Becomes First African to Qualify in 2 Major Surgery Fields

• Dr Kirthi Ramdhani, a 38-year-old surgeon from Tongaat, made history with a dual surgical qualification no African doctor had achieved before
• Her combined expertise allows her to treat complex childhood conditions like cleft lips, facial differences, and severe burns in a single, integrated approach
• Ramdhani hopes her achievement inspires young African women to push beyond traditional boundaries in medicine

A surgeon from Tongaat, KwaZulu-Natal, has made history by becoming the first African doctor to qualify in both paediatric surgery and plastic, reconstructive, and aesthetic surgery.

Dr Kirthi Ramdhani, 38, is based at Tygerberg Hospital and Stellenbosch University in Cape Town. She passed her final plastic and reconstructive surgery board examinations recently, adding to her 2021 paediatric surgery qualifications through the Colleges of Medicine of South Africa.

No other African doctor has held both qualifications simultaneously.

Two disciplines, one purpose

Ramdhani trained at the University of KwaZulu-Natal before gaining surgical experience at Grey's Hospital in Pietermaritzburg. She identified a gap between surgical disciplines and made it her mission to bridge it.

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Her dual specialisation means she can offer children with complex conditions care that was previously split between different specialists. Patients with cleft lips, facial differences, or severe burn injuries now benefit from a doctor who understands both the full developmental needs of a growing child and the precise technical demands of reconstructive work.

Her work is supported by organisations such as the Smile Foundation, a non-profit that funds reconstructive procedures for children from underprivileged backgrounds.

A vision for African medicine

Ramdhani credits her educator parents with instilling in her a philosophy rooted in service. That grounding shaped not only how she practises medicine but also why she pursued a path few had attempted before.

She hopes her achievement sends a clear message to young African medical professionals, particularly women, that traditional disciplinary boundaries are worth crossing. Her vision is one where Africa leads in surgical innovation and compassionate patient care, rather than simply following models developed elsewhere.

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Her story began in a small coastal town in KwaZulu-Natal and has taken her to one of South Africa's most respected academic hospitals, where she is now writing a new chapter in African medical history.

See the Instagram post here.

More on South Africans making history

• Briefly News recently reported on a Bloemfontein learner who broke a Guinness World Record by completing 47 splits in one minute, inspired by a similar record he heard about at a family braai.
• The South African government praised Bafana Bafana after the team made history at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
• A 12-year-old boy from Gauteng became the first black South African in 26 years to win the World Startup Forum Championship in Switzerland with his therapeutic shoe brand.

Source: Briefly News