Three Pretoria-based spine surgeons have opened an advanced spinal care unit at the Empangeni Mediclinic. Spinal surgeons Dr. Sailesh Ragoo, Dr. Kritish Timakia, and Dr. Neil van der Berg have opened the Zululand Spinal Centre of Excellence.

The trio pools their expertise to ensure an interdisciplinary approach is taken for very complex procedures not before available locally. Dr. Ragoo has a long background in Orthopaedic Spinal Surgery; Dr. Timakia is in Neurosurgery; and Dr. Van der Berg is in Orthopaedic Surgery. Together, they promise superior care to patients presenting for advanced spinal treatment.

Of particular interest is the introduction of endoscopic spinal surgeries, a minimally invasive technique bound to change spinal interventions for good. This technology comes with reduced trauma, faster recovery, and lessening complications when placing it against the conventional methods, and therefore is very inviting for patients across all ages and health conditions.

Endoscopic spinal surgeries have already brought some astonishing outcomes in terms of the improved mobility and quality of life of patients. Patients had to be drawn in from as far afield as Cape Town, while the team found itself called upon to revise those previously unsuccessful cases that might have been performed across the primary treatment spectrum.

Within this dream of changing lives to better spinal health and re-claiming mobility, the vision of founding the Zululand Spinal Centre of Excellence was conceived.