Volunteering Across Borders: Introducing Michael Pretorius
World Spine Care relies on volunteers from all over the world. But the latest clinical supervisor to join the team didn’t have to travel far to provide hands-on care to the people of Botswana. Dr. Michael Pretorius grew up in South Africa and hoped to take his skills abroad for some time, but the pandemic tested his patience. Eventually, the opportunity arose, and he embraced it readily. Dr. Kait Graham, our Volunteer Program Manager, shared that "World Spine Care is thrilled to have Michael join our team in Botswana. We started preparing for his arrival several months prior, and he has been nothing but helpful, engaged and determined from the start."
Botswana Clinic Coordinator Dr. Mufudzi Chahambakwe adds, “Michael is a great addition to the team. From early on, he has been a man of action, helping to set up the clinic in Mahalapye that has been dormant since the pandemic started. He is exactly the person we needed to champion the re-entry of WSC into the local community.”
We caught up with Dr. Pretorius to see what the first months of working with patients in Botswana are like.
WSC: Tell us about your background and clinical education.
Dr. Pretorius: I studied chiropractic at the University of Johannesburg. After completing my master's dissertation and clinical internship during covid, I worked in private practice in Johannesburg for two years, taking a special interest in treating athletes and doing the International Federation of Sports Chiropractic certificate.
What inspired you to take on the role of Clinical Supervisor at the WSC Clinic in Botswana?
In 2019, I attended a WCCS conference where Dr. Mufudzi Chihambakwe (now a close friend and colleague) spoke about WSC and the work that they are doing in Botswana. Having family in Botswana and a passion for public health, volunteering for WSC seemed like a no-brainer. COVID-19 might have delayed that by a few years, but here we are.
What have been the most significant challenges while preparing to volunteer?
So far, it has been smooth sailing. Well, at least as smooth as you’d expect when you pack up your life, move to another country, register, and then try to re-open a clinic that’s been closed for 2 years. Lots of admin and organization, but other than small hick-ups and the obvious language barrier (I’m learning Setswana just slowly), it's been going great.
What do you hope to achieve while in Botswana?
The obvious is just to provide quality treatment to as many people as possible, but more than that is to work on the sustainability and longevity of what we are doing in the community. To really establish ourselves and our space in a more permanent way, where volunteers don’t have to re-fight battles that the previous pioneering volunteers did years ago. To educate and integrate.
What has been your initial experience with patients and fellow healthcare providers?
The hospital staff at the Mahalapye District Hospital have been very nice, welcoming, and excited to have us back. In our first two weeks of treating patients, we were basically only treating hospital staff. They first come for treatment and then refer their patients second.
What is something exciting or surprising you’ve learned since arriving?
Surprising how bad my Setswana is, but exciting that I’ve got enough time to learn.
Have there been any memorable moments or lessons so far?
I had a patient last week with chronic neck and lower back pain; nothing serious, but had just been living with it for years. It's those special moments when you recheck the range of motion after treatment, and a huge smile just spears on their face when they notice that when they did that movement before, it hurt, and now it doesn’t. She literally asked what magic I was doing.
