Dr Melissa Chettiar qualified as a medical doctor in 2006 at Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine (UKZN).
After completing her internship at R K Khan Hospital in 2007/2008, she moved to Dundee Hospital for her community service. She worked in the paediatric ward for a year and it was there that her love for children intensified.
She then obtained her Diploma in Child Health in 2011 and began her registrar time that same year. After four gruelling years, Dr Chettiar qualified as a Specialist Paediatrician. She worked in the private sector doing locums for various paediatricians before opening her own rooms at Durdoc Centre in July 2019. She also has rooms at Kingsway Hospital, where she officially started working on 1 October.
She is a member of the Allergy Society of South Africa and has a special interest in paediatric and infant nutrition. In 2017 she completed a course in a post graduate programme in paediatric nutrition from Boston University. Outside of medicine she is a board member at the Ethelbert Children’s Home in Queensburgh and volunteers her medical assistance and advice to the children at the home.
“I have a created a warm, friendly environment in my rooms to make the parents and children feel safe and comfortable. I try to empower parents with a knowledge and understanding of their child’s illness, thus reducing parent anxiety, by understanding the natural course of the illness over time, knowing when to get concerned and when to follow up,” says Dr Chettiar.
To book an appointment, call Dr Chettiar’s rooms:
Durdoc Centre, Suite 704, 7th floor, 460 Anton Lembede Street, Durban: 031 301 3377. Kingsway Hospital, Suite 104, 1st floor Medical Centre: 031 904 6033/7274.