Dr. Asha Malan is a Specialist Vascular Surgeon at BloemVascular, located in Life Rosepark Hospital, Bloemfontein. Born and raised in Potchefstroom, Dr. Malan is not only a dedicated surgeon but also happily married to her husband Jacques, a physiotherapist, and mother to a 6-month-old baby girl.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a vascular surgeon you need detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the entire body.\u00a0 It requires meticulous planning and it can actually be referred to as the engineering of surgery \u2013 you are sometimes required to come up with solutions to problems that no textbook will contain.\u00a0 It needs a creative and innovative way of thinking and I love every moment,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
Dr. Malan started her career at Universitas Academic Hospital and was appointed as the Head of Vascular Surgery at the University of the Free State \u2013 a role she fulfilled until May 2024.<\/p>\n
During her time she was actively involved in the teaching and training of medical students and surgeons-in-training and was promoted to Associated Professor in 2023.\u00a0 She was the Chairperson for the 2023 Vascular Surgery Congress in Cape Town and was subsequently elected as the President Elect for the Vascular Society of Southern Africa (VASSA) in 2023 \u2013 becoming the first women to hold this office in the 40-year existence of VASSA.<\/p>\n
Her dream of establishing a nationally recognised quality Vascular Surgery unit led to the opening of her private practice, BloemVascular, in June 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpening my private practice and being part of the planning of building the first hybrid theatre in the Free State and Northern Cape is a step closer to accomplishing that dream,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will allow us to provide a state-of-the-art specialised vascular surgical service to the population of central South Africa \u2013 a service that is desperately needed and long overdue,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
Dr. Malan has a particular interest in the management of complex aortic aneurysm disease and visited and trained in the USA, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands.\u00a0 She also performed the first complex endovascular aortic repair in the state sector in South Africa.<\/p>\n
Her inspiration to pursue a career in Medicine began early. \u201cI first decided to become a medical doctor at school when my biology teacher, Mrs. Em Volschenk, triggered an appreciation for the mechanics of the human body,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n
After completing her undergraduate medical training at the UFS in 2008, she specialised in General Surgery before finding her passion for Vascular Surgery. \u201cI believe that Vascular Surgery is one of the most beautiful types of surgery. It is neat and clean but at the same time challenging. It provides the opportunity to perform surgery on any part of the body and refine your surgical skills,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n
Balancing professional responsibilities and personal life is crucial for Dr. Malan. \u201cDue to the long hours and the demanding nature of the work, surgery has always had a negative reputation. Surgeons must be available virtually constantly, which is a schedule that doesn\u2019t fit with what women are typically expected to do,\u201d she acknowledges.<\/p>\n
However, she believes in the multitasking abilities of women. \u201cNot only can we do several things at once, but we can also do them well. Females have mastered the art of balancing the demands of both their work and personal lives more and more and society is generally more receptive to this as well,\u201d she explains. \u201cI have the additional benefit of a very supportive husband and I want to raise my daughter to be proud of this,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n
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