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- Dr Mumtaz Abbas, a specialist family physician in Northern Tygerberg, regularly tests and screens people for Covid-19.
- She says working during the pandemic is demanding and exhausting, but messages of support from patients and loved ones remind her it is worthwhile.
- Abbas says her goal is to keep her community safe.
Working during the Covid-19 pandemic is both exhausting and demanding, says Dr Mumtaz Abbas - but it is through these tough times she feels she is really living her true passion.
"It's a time of great sacrifice for all of us, and I'm constantly reminding myself why I'm doing what I'm doing. I keep having to press into what my purpose is and what I am trying to achieve, and my goal is to keep my community safe," she said.
Abbas, 35, is a specialist family physician at a primary health care clinic in Northern Tygerberg. She fulfils a diverse portfolio of managing systems and people, training staff and teaching students.
INFOGRAPHICS | The extent of the Western Cape Covid-19 outbreak
She and her team have set up a special Covid-19 screening and testing clinic, which services Bishop Lavis in Cape Town as part of the Western Cape Department of Health's initiative to "stop the spread".
Residents have free access to screening, and depending on whether they are displaying Covid-19 symptoms, free testing as well.
Abbas' team is also doing door-to-door screening and testing in areas where Covid-19-positive patients are located.
She said there were times she felt demotivated, and she hardly had time for herself.
In these times, Abbas is most grateful for the many messages of support from friends, family, residents and patients.
These messages, she said, "make it all worth it".
