Meet the Team

Dr Lydia Kilani

General Surgeon

Dr Lydia Kilani is a vibrant, outspoken and hugely talented general surgeon from Johannesburg South Africa.

Dr Kilani began her medical studies at the University of Cape Town where she obtained her Bachelors of Medicine and Surgery in 2008.

Tenacious and Goal-Oriented young surgical talent

Dr Kilani completed her internship at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. She spent her free time in the operating theatres assisting in surgeries as much as possible and running the weekly minor operation list. Her love for surgery grew into a passion during this period as she absorbed knowledge and surgical skills from some of the best general surgical Professors.

Community Service and Impact

Dr Kilani’s community service year was spent in a small clinic in the West Rand where she was instrumental in the setup of a male circumcision centre. She was part of the surgical team that performed over 500 free male circumcisions at this unit. This experience gave her tremendous insight into the challenges communities face, and how to galvanize them around important healthcare issues.

General surgery specialization

She completed her postgraduate general surgical training through the University of Witwatersrand from 2013-2018.

The University of Witwatersrand is renowned for its world class surgical specialty training. Its graduates leave equipped with in depth clinical knowledge and experience to contribute positively to the unique medical climate in South Africa.

During the 5 years of rigorous specialization, she developed a passion and keen interest in breast and trauma surgery. She also gained invaluable and extensive experience in a range of surgical diseases and perfected her use of modern surgical techniques, especiallylaparoscopic surgery.

Once she obtained her certificate in general surgery from the Colleges of Medicine South Africa, Dr Lydia Kilani stayed on in the public sector and worked as a specialist surgeon in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. She was part of the world renowned Bara breast unit. This opportunity was invaluable and contributed to her clinical development in breast surgery, she had the opportunity to impact the lives of hundreds of women, stay at the forefront of oncoplastic breast surgery, and be involved in breast cancer research.

Humanitarian work and International Experience

Dr Kilani works with Iqarus, the EUTM (European Union Training Mission) and MINUSMA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali) as part of a multinational team of health care professionals who provide general surgical and trauma care to soldiers in combat areas.

She has provided medical care to military troops in the war-torn regions of Somalia and Mali.

Dr Kilani believes that healthcare should be a basic human right. Her participation as a damage control surgeon on these excursions, along with other outreach projects, is testament to her ongoing commitment to providing accessible healthcare to people from all walks of life.

WHAT’S NEXT? WATCH THIS SPACE…

Dr Kilani hopes to change the face of general surgery in South Africa, offering contemporary evidence-based surgical practises. Her objective is to provide holistic multidisciplinary approaches to the management of female surgical diseases.