A passion to blaze a path in the field of neurosurgery has put Dr Basil Enicker and KZN on the world map, writes Debbie Reynolds
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For Dr Basil Enicker it was another day in the office. For jazz musician Musa Manzini it was a life changer.
The University of KZN lecturer and internationally celebrated jazz artist had already undergone two operations to remove a benign brain tumour when he consulted Dr Enicker late last year.
“His symptoms such as numbness and weakness of his left hand had returned and the frequency of his seizures were increasing,” says Dr Enicker. “Because he is a professional musician and teacher, it was critical to preserve his neurological functions.”
And so, Dr Enicker decided that an “awake” craniotomy was appropriate, the first ever undertaken in South Africa. During the six-hour operation in which the neurologist and his team removed a bone flap from the skull and a large portion of the tumour, Manzini played his guitar.
“He was sedated so his playing was not 100%,” laughs Dr Enicker, “but we needed to know that we were not compromising his skills which was easier to do while he was awake.”
In February Manzini went back to lecturing and his gigs around the country.
“It’s results like this that make my job so rewarding,” says Dr Enicker, who grew up in Umlazi and matriculated at St Francis College in Mariannhill. While his parents and grandfather were all teachers, it was his grandmother who inspired him to be a doctor.
“She was a paediatric nurse and I always remember her looking after us when we were sick,” he says. “From a young age, I wanted to be like her and help people. In fact, my whole family instilled in me a sense of respect and compassion.”
His family encouraged his dream and “sacrificed much” to pay for it, and he enrolled at UKZN’s Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine graduating with a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery in 2002.
After his internship and community service he arrived at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in 2006 with his sights set on being a specialist neurosurgeon. He qualified in 2010 and today heads up the neurosurgery unit.
“It was a tough 10 years of study, hard work and self-sacrifice, but it has been worth every moment,” says Dr Enicker. “From early on I realised I wanted to lead by example, and the best way to do that was to supervise and mentor others.
“In this hospital, which caters for the 11 million people who live in KZN, we only have six specialist neurosurgeons. My goal is to inspire people from previously disadvantaged backgrounds to become neurosurgeons so that we can help more people.
“Albert Luthuli is doing excellent work and it was good to see the hospital getting international coverage through the Manzini story, but we need to be keep giving our patients the best care possible.
“For now, the buck stops here as we are the only public health neurosurgery unit in the province. What we do has a long-lasting impact on people who are often breadwinners and contribute to the economy.
“It means so much when patients get back to us and tell us where they are in their lives and how we made that difference.”
Dr Enicker’s vision is to increase the meaningful research output in the province and expand the neurological service, so it is more accessible to people outside of Durban. He also strongly believes in balancing work and family time.
“My wife Zanele is specialist oncologist and we have two beautiful children, four-year-old Liso and two-year-old Nala. We have lived in Kloof for three years and love the climate, open space, amenities and proximity to good schools.”
The lessons he will teach his children are: value education, surround yourself with positive role models, and never give up. “I am here because I did the work and made the sacrifices. There are no short cuts.”
