The
colourful life Dr Mal
Dr
Malachy De Souza M.D.
(Part
I)
Dr Malachy De Souza Medical Practice (1992): Lillian Omondi (Temporary
Receptionist, now Lawyer); Anne Nyayieka (Receptionist); Carol Omondi
(Temporary Receptionist, now Radiologist), Dr Malachy De Souza (now retired).
Mavis and her brother Raymond: the
former a Classmate and the latter ahead of me by 3 years and we were
colleagues as teachers in Parklands School.
Tony Cordeiro son of Melba
& late Hypolito Cordeiro - lives in Nairobi and runs a successful
Computer Company Technology Today Ltd.
Angelo Costa-Bir also lives in Nairobi and runs a construction
firm.
Darryl Coutinho was a
classmate and lives in the U.S.A. with his wife Edith and children Colin and
Brad.
The late Mr Manu D'Cruz
F.R.C.S. We were colleagues and despite the difference in age we were good
friends and spent many an hour together, often over a drink. His
Wife Clara lives in Nairobi.
Bella D'Souza former
classmate. Lives in London, UK.
Netty & Cirion De Souza: Netty,
my senior by many years at DRGS. Cirion was a patient of mine and we
developed a deep friendship it continues after they emigrated to the U.S.A.
Tony Reg D'Souza: ...and who
doesn't know Tony Reg! He lives in Australia.
Norman and Delphine Da Costa: they need no introduction.
Carmen Da Silva (formerly known
as Maria De Mello) and Dr Sidney: both Classmates, the
former and DRGS and the latter at Strathmore College.
Dr Romaldo De
Souza: former teacher of Biology and now lives and works in the
U.S.A.
My former Classmate, Simon Estelita, from Standard 7 to Form 4, said he knew very little of me and of my past and asked for details of my “colourful past.” Hence the title of this brief article…yes there’s more, but later. We last saw one another in 1967 and I kept in touch in later years with his mother, Laura, a former teacher of ours in Form II then got Simon’s address and we began communicating.
Secondary
School
My
folks lived in Pangani and I would get to Dr Ribeiro's Goan School by public bus
and sometimes return on foot to save the few pennies to buy some crisps and a
Coke at break time from the school canteen. No pocket money in those days. It
was a co-ed school and I made some lasting friendships, keeping in touch with a
number of my former classmates to this day.
I played Table-tennis and Hockey in goal for
the first team in the latter. I held
various positions of responsibility: the School Film Projector and PA System,
Monitor of a class and a Prefect in the last two years. There was a Brass Band started while we were in Form II by the Principal, Mr Neves Pereira, a
musician in his own right. We were about 20 budding musicians. I played the
B-Flat Cornet and the range of instruments was complete: there were more
cornets, trumpets, Trombones, French Horns, Sousa Phones, a Tuba Bass, cymbals
and drums. We played at two Kenya Music Festivals and won the prize as the only
Brass Band which entered. We also played the National Anthem at the National
Youth Festival held at the Jamhuri Park Arena with President Jomo Kenyatta presiding
on Kenyatta Day, 20 October, 1966.
A
small number of our Classmates have since passed away: Francis Dias, Leslie
Fernandes, Edwin Rodrigues, and there are probably others too, of which I do
not have news.
Strathmore
College
After
my “O” Levels, at which I got six distinctions and two credits, I went to
Strathmore College for my “A” Levels and had a very fruitful time there;
academically (I was top of the Biology-Chemistry-Physics class, whose
students usually opted for Medicine/ Biological sciences/Biochemistry,
etc. at University). I was also the Publicity Secretary of the in-house
magazine THE SCROLL for a year and then the Secretary General of the Strathmore
Students Association for another year. I represented the
College in Hockey and Table-tennis. As a multi-racial College, we
learned to live with people of all races, rubbing shoulders as students - it
was an enriching experience.
At
Strathmore there were some talented people both in academics and in
co-curricular activities, music being one of them. I polished my skills on the
guitar and I accompanied singers at the frequent musical get-togethers we had
in the College with students from Kianda College invited and there were
reciprocal visits to Kianda. Many a Strathmore boy married a Kianda girl and
they settled down to a happy married life. With these musical abilities, I
played the Bass guitar in a five-man band known as the Keytones and we
practised in the Parklands suburb and played at parties organized by various people.
We developed a wide repertoire with the passage of the months and I earned some
pocket money, the first I had got. I also played the Bass guitar for the
Nairobi Hootenanny. Due to the pressure of studies, I gave up both six months
to the demanding final exams of the University of London G.C.E.
During
the vacations, I would go to the Radiant Health Clinic close to our home run (in
Mlango Kubwa) by Dr M.A. Haq, a Pakistani and our family doctor. It had two
doctors, a Lab, Pharmacy, a well-equipped Operating Theatre and 20 beds. I was
attached to the Lab and Pharmacy. I was able to apply the Lab skills I had
learnt at Strathmore College and learnt Medical Lab Technology from the Lab
man. In the Pharmacy I learnt Compounding (making up medicines – a skill
largely lost today) and Dispensing from the Pharmacist. In later months when
there was no Lab Technologist, Dr Haq employed me part-time to man the Lab.
Dr
Ribeiro Goan School (aka Parklands School)
My
next stop was the Parklands School. My mother's cousin, Robert Fernandes, had
already retired from Parklands and Stanley De Souza was Acting Headmaster. I
taught Biology to Form IV to the last group of the co-eds. There wasn't another
Biology Teacher so I had quite a load of teaching and I was Acting Head of the
Department of Biology for the two years I spent teaching there. In 1970 I
converted the old Domestic Science Room into the Biology Lab, fully equipped
with microscopes, dissecting instruments, reagents, biological specimens, etc.,
the works. I took two groups of students through the Cambridge School
Certificate in Biology - they were a good lot and did well. I also looked
after Soccer and had several fixtures with other schools in Nairobi. The school
grounds were not adequate for soccer so we played "away" all the
time. I also gave private tuition away from the School and to students of
other schools to earn some extra money. I was saving for my University
Education as my parents could not afford to send me to Medical School.
Rome
Sweet Home
While
I was mulling my future, I got a call for a Scholarship to study Medicine at
the State University of Rome. I jumped at the opportunity and immediately
embarked on a crash course in the Italian Language for two months before
leaving for Rome in November 1970. My first-ever flight in a DC 8 was a
pleasant one with Alitalia. On arrival at Rome, we had to encircle the city due
to heavy air traffic at the Leonardo Da Vinci airport, and the pilot took us
over the Vatican City. I was moved to see St Peter's Basilica, the Seat of
Christendom, and the See of Pope Paul VI.
On
landing, I was met by the Assistant Director of the Residence I was to
stay in; it was run by members of Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic
Church which I joined while at Strathmore College in 1968. The Residence was an
International one known as the RUI (Residenza Universitaria Internazionale) and
was situated in the EUR suburb. It was a nice Residence, with individual and
double rooms for 80 residents, a Dining Hall, Lounge, Library, Study Rooms, a
Chapel, and a cosy garden. It was 15 minutes on the Underground to the
University. I chose a double room as a Scholarship student to minimize my
expenses. My roommate was a Law student from Calabria in Southern Italy and we
struck it off from the word go and we formed a lasting friendship to this day.
He helped me with my Italian and we had many walks around EUR and Rome seeing
monuments and practising Italian, including a few choice words, not to be used
in front of women and other decent folks.
The
next stage was Registration at the University - bureaucracy is the in-thing
in Italy and the process was cumbersome. Fortunately, there was a Foreign
Students' Office which made things somewhat easy. The whole process took three
months, but in the meanwhile, I could sit my proficiency exam in Italian and
attend lectures and practical labs. The technical medical language in Italian
is quite easy if you set your mind to it as much of the terminology in Italian
and English is derived from Latin and Greek. For the Greek one just had to
memorize the terms; as for the Latin, God bless Fr. Luis and Mr. Anthony De
Souza for the torture they put us through. I didn't have too much of
a problem with Italian. and passed my first-year exams with flying colors
and was soon among the top of the year and had my Scholarship renewed. It was a
must to do well and pass each year.
One
of my colleagues at Medical School and a resident of the Hall I lived in, was a
Nigerian and we went to lectures and practical labs together. We had vowed to
speak only in Italian to each other so as to practice and perfect the language.
We got on very well and had many hours of singing together. He had a great
voice and a repertoire of songs and I accompanied him on the guitar and
sometimes sang the second voice. We played at several get-togethers in the
Residence and soon became quite popular with the other residents.
After graduation, he went to the USA and I lost contact with him. A pity.
An
Adventurous trip home
After
two years in Rome, it was time to visit home and I made the trip to Nairobi,
via Zurich, to Mombasa on a Chartered flight as it was cheaper this way. I then
travelled by RVP Peugeot service from Mombasa to Nairobi. It was an emotional
reunion with my parents as my only sister, Gladys had passed away due to
Encephalitis the previous year, only three weeks after her marriage to Jon
Rebello, an Alumnus of Dr Ribeiro's. It was good to meet relatives and friends
again and visit Strathmore College and the Parklands School. The Principal, Mr
Peter Turner wanted me to supervise Physical Education and Soccer at the
School. I was tired after two gruelling years at Medical School - the first two
years are the toughest - and I declined stating fatigue, He had been very
good to me while I taught at Parklands and was quite understanding of my
reasons.
Sub-Director
of the RUI
My
return trip was done in reverse and instead of flying to Rome from Zurich I
took the train and got to Rome after breaking my trip in Milan. I saw a bit of
the countryside. On arrival at the Residence, I was surprised to learn that I
had been appointed Assistant Director (Assistant Warden) of the RUI. It meant
more responsibilities and less time for study, so I had to make better use of
time. My responsibilities included day-to-day running of the Residence, caring
for the residents, mentoring some of them and some maintenance of the
premises.
I
had to adjust my timetables to accommodate both matters: attending Medical
School and attending to the new job in the Residence for which I was given a
modest salary ( I still had my Scholarship and the small income from the
Residence meant I was financially sound and could stop tightening the belt too
much in the way of my day-to-day expenses, books, cigarettes, etc). I managed
to combine the two, and was even offered the use of a car to go to the
University and back; I declined because the Metro was efficient and the parking
problems around the University and in Rome in general were horrendous. The
third to sixth years at the Faculty of Medicine involved much practical work
with live patients and many lectures and seminars. It involved going to
the Wards to do the Ward Rounds with the Professor and his coterie of
Assistants and students. This was real medicine and much as it involved time
and patience, was really interesting and I continued learning real medicine.
The practical work helped a lot when I returned to Kenya as the orientation
here is quite practical, and less on theory, and direct responsibility for the
care of patients was given quite early, including during the Internship.
Family
Issues
My
second eldest brother, Denis, who lived and worked in Uganda, was kicked out by
Idi Amin in 1972 with nothing but a suitcase and clothes on himself. It
coincided with my trip to Nairobi to be with my parents and we could not go to
Uganda to see him nor could he travel to Kenya to meet us. He first went to Goa
to sort out the vexed problem of my parents’ property in Nagoa, tried his hand
at some work, unsuccessfully, and left for Britain a couple of years later
where he joined London Transport. He started at a very low level and worked his
way up over the years to become Shift Manager with the London Underground. He
has since passed away.
My
eldest brother, Elfie, who also worked his way up the ladder in the Accounts
Department of the East African Railways and Harbors to become Executive
Accountant based in the sensitive cash office, was transferred to Dar-es-Salaam
in 1970. His wife and two children moved there, but the conditions in Tanzania
were not ideal. First, there was the Socialist Ujamaa system where there
was gross nationalization of businesses and firms, a 10-person cell-system in
society. Then there was the medium of communication in school and at work; in
Kenya it was English, in Tanzania it was Kiswahili. His children had a hard
time with the language, and soon my brother emigrated to Canada to start a new
life there in 1973. He is now 83 years old and still works part-time. (By the way, my Kiswahili is rudimentary but grammatical
and I can communicate adequately with patients and in day-to-day dealing with
people. I wouldn’t survive in Tanzania!)
With
the departure of my brothers from East Africa, my ageing parents, Connie and
Filipe, felt it was time to return to Goa after 45 years in Kenya and Uganda.
They had purchased a new car, a Morris Minor 1100 cc, three years prior to that
as a hedge for their retirement. My father was a watchmaker and my mother a
housewife. (I remember you met my Mum in our place in Pangani sometime in 1967).
My father was quite ill with Diabetes and Kidney failure and passed away six
months after reaching Goa. My mother stayed in Goa until 1980 when she came
back to Nairobi to join me. She passed away as a result of Cancer of the
Pancreas in 1984. At some stage, the family was really dispersed over four
continents!
While
in Kenya I was aware of the Mau Mau who my parents and some friends spoke
about, most of the time sotto voce, because of the government of the
day. On my return to Kenya, I read some books and spoke to people who had been
close to the Mau Mau and to people who had fought them. There were atrocities
on both sides of the divide and it was a horrible guerrilla war, which just as
well lasted six or seven years, much of it concentrated in the first three
years, 1952 – 1955.
Back
to Studying and work
The
volume of work and study was intense in the fourth to sixth years of Medicine
with and an average of six to eight subjects to attend in addition to Clinical
work (Clerkship) in the Wards. Vacations were kept to a minimum as the curriculum
went through some of the summer months and examinations were held every
trimester. In late summer I would attend a six-week Annual Seminar for
University students at a summer resort on the Lake of Como on Ethics, Philosophy
and Theology to broaden my knowledge. They were most interesting and we learned
a lot. The lectures were interspersed with sports, walks, swimming, canoeing on
the lake and excursions to the mountains. I still attend Annual Seminars on
these subjects in Kenya. With the load of studies and low financial ability, I
did not tour Europe, much as I would have liked to. Many of my colleagues did
so and as they say travel broadens the mind but drains the wallet.
Satellite
Anatomy Lab and other Courses at the RUI
The
Director of the Residence was a Professor of Gastroenterology and was in
contact with many of his colleagues at the State University of Rome, also known
as La Sapienza (Wisdom)University. Our Professor of Anatomy was an enterprising
sort and when approached to set up a satellite Anatomy Laboratory at the RUI he
jumped at the idea. He got clearance and financing from the University for the
Lab, ad experimentum. Thus, we had an in-house lab for the study of
Human Anatomy in the basement of the Residence. It was fully equipped with
human bones, hearts, kidneys, etc., Microscopes, and Histology slides. No
cadavers though; these were to be found at the University. The lab was open to
the Residents and to the medical students living in EUR and suburbs within a 10-minute
ride to the Residence. A lecturer from the University would come to give the
lectures and supervise the lab work.
(Incidentally,
this lab formed the embryo for the future doctors and professors to set
up a fully-fledged private Medical School with a Teaching Hospital on the outskirts
of Rome known as the Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome and offering
its own degrees in Medicine, Nursing, Radiography, Nutrition, Food Science and
Technology, Bio-Medical Engineering and 8 other related degree programs).
Other
courses in English, Computer Programming, Architectural Studies, (a complete
studio with Drawing Boards was set up in another area of the basement),
Mathematics for Engineering students were given at the RUI. Also given were
courses Human Virtues, Ethics, and Etiquette. In the basement there was a fully
equipped Study Room for 50 students – besides the residents, this was used by
outsiders who lived in the area. Cultural get-togethers were held on a Saturday
after-lunch where a guest Speaker from Academia, Business or Industry.
Politicians were not usually invited, the exception being a former Prime
Minister of Italy, Hon Aldo Moro – who gave us an entertaining and informative
3-hour get-together. He was killed by the Red Brigades in Rome. Religion had
its place in the Chapel with Talks given by the Chaplain and Classes of
Catholic Doctrine. Attendance at these activities was not obligatory.
Move
to Milan
My
sixth and final year of Medical School was done at the State University of
Milan. Transfers at the time were reasonably easy from one University to another
within the country. The transcript of subjects done was recognized
country-wide. I did my Clerkship that year in Internal Medicine and had to sit
for twelve examinations and work on a thesis. My thesis was Clinical and on the
“Therapy of Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas with MOPP (four Chemotherapeutic agents). This
was defended before a panel of 30 Professors of Medicine in July 1976. I did very well academically that year though
it was a heavy going. In addition, I worked at a Boy’s Club as Director of a
Group of 9 to 11-year-olds to earn extra income. The main activity at the Club
was the development of hobbies, human virtues(values) and the good use of free
time. There were also monthly excursions within Lombardy and I saw a good bit
of Northern Italy. I was quite exhausted at the end of it all and went to a
Seminar on Ethics on the Lake of Como for a well-earned rest. There were
entertaining Lectures and many Case Studies which made the whole thing
interesting. There were the movies, sports, get-togethers, cultural and musicals,
and excursions and at the end of six weeks I had recovered my strength. Resting
is not doing anything, but changing activities and atmosphere.
Internship
Year
I
applied to do my internship at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) in Nairobi.
Not being a Kenya Citizen at the time, it took a long while to process my
papers. Meanwhile, I commenced my Internship in Italy at the Department of
Emergency Surgery (Accident and Emergency) which had an 80-bed ward. It was an avant-garde
Department which specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of Shock of all
kinds. I learnt a lot and was able to introduce some ideas and techniques
during my Internship in Surgery in Kenya subsequently. I spent four and a half
months in Milan which were recognized in Kenya. My papers finally arrived in
January 1977 and I left immediately for Kenya.
As
a non-citizen, (I subsequently Registered as a Citizen of Kenya 4 years later),
I was employed as an Honorary Intern which meant that though I did all the work,
night shifts and all, of the paid Interns, I was on unpaid terms for the
remaining eight months of Internship. It was slave labour in the broadest sense
of the word, but I stuck to it as I needed my Registration as a Doctor to
practice medicine in Kenya. I did some Lab work privately to earn my keep. It
was very hard work: Interns, the world over, are meant to work, work and work,
and are not meant to eat or sleep! But it was rewarding. We were given direct
responsibility for the care of patients, with minimal supervision from the
Registrars and Consultants. There were Ward Rounds by the Teaching Staff of the
University of Nairobi and KNH Hospital Consultants which were most helpful in
the management of patients and learning to practice good medicine.
I
did my Internship at KNH in Infectious Diseases, Pediatrics and Surgery and at
the end of the year I felt confident I could handle any patient either directly
or by referring the patient to an appropriate specialist. After the Internship,
I took a short break in Mombasa and then started looking for employment. Since
I was Registered to practice medicine in the country, and there being a
shortage of doctors in the country, I got an immediate part-time post to treat
students at a college in Nairobi and to do preventive medical check-ups at the
same. Then for two months I was attached to Dr Charles Paes, a famous GP in
Eastleigh and learnt a lot from him; especially in dealing with private
patients, who had a different set of demands from patients in public
institutions. The bed-side manner was important and I polished a few skills.
Dr
Paes left the country shortly after having sold his practice to a tycoon; the
latter employed several doctors and used the area above the practice, for a
small Maternity Nursing Home. I then started off on my own in a solo practice
operating from my home and soon had a reasonable practice which gave me more
experience in dealing with private patients. Meanwhile, I explored several
possibilities to broaden my experience.
Alumni
Most
of my High School classmates had left the country for studies abroad in the
late 1960s and others emigrated to greener pastures in the early 1970s. Less
than a handful were left in Nairobi. Among these was Shelley George who did
Liberal Arts in the U.S.A. and returned to work in Kenya with Harbans Singh
Architects. She lived fairly close to my place and so we met with some
frequency. One evening was spent with Mavis Colaco, another classmate, and
Mervyn De Souza who had traveled to Nairobi from the UK. For a brief holiday. Joe
(Joey) Da Costa is now in California, U.S.A.
Edwin
Rodrigues (Prof. as he was known to all and sundry) a genius in Mathematics,
Physics and Electronics, taught Physics to “A” Levels at Strathmore College,
his Alma Mater. He had a double Degree in Mathematics and Electrical
Engineering which he got at the same time from the University of Nairobi. He
had the brains to lecture in any Ivy League USA University or even work at
NASA. He chose to teach, albeit at a prestigious College, and form future
academics and engineers who could work in these positions. He, unfortunately,
passed away prematurely of Multiple Myeloma in 2003.
Other
School mates in Nairobi in the 1970s, were Titus De Souza now in Calgary,
Canada, and ill at the time of writing this. Others were Jane De Souza, nee
Oliveira, now in Goa, India. Hubert Fernandes, Renal Specialist in Chicago. Theresa
Mandricks, nee Mendonca, alumna 1963 and sportswoman is now in Toronto, Canada.
Her brother Alu Mendonca, an Olympian in Hockey and one of the world’s top
left-wingers passed away in Nairobi a few years ago. There were others whom I
would meet at the Dr Ribeiro Goan School functions.
We
still maintain contact through past students’ association chapters in the U.K.,
Canada, the USA and Australia. None of my High School classmates are in Nairobi
now.
Doc’s
parents Filipe and Connie on a trip to the Rift Valley.
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