Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 99, October 2017 | Page 20

RUN WITH
YOUR HEART,
NOT JUST YOUR LEGS
The inaugural Tuks Student Surgical Society’s (TSSS) Annual Scrub Run
powered by Discovery kicked off on 26 August at the Pretoria National Botanical
Gardens, with hundreds of eager runners dressed in scrubs, theatre caps and
surgical gloves showing up to support Surgeons for Little Lives. This is a non-profit
organisation improving the surgical care children receive in South African public
hospitals, specifically the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg.
– by Rutger van Gruting, Chairperson of TSSS
P
eople from all walks of life, including medical students, doctors,
nurses, hospital staff and family members, all joined TSSS at the
Scrub Run to raise funds. More than 500 people participated
in the run and most societies from the University of Pretoria Medical
Campus came to show their support and participate in fundraising
efforts.
The Tuks Student Surgical Society is also a registered student non-profit
organisation that focuses on the promotion of surgical skills amongst
medical students of the University of Pretoria. The goals of the TSSS
include the exploration of the art of surgery beyond the scope of our
current curriculum and assisting passionate students in becoming better
equipped and prepared for careers as surgeons.
However, skills development and education is only a small part of being
a medical student or surgeon. Medical professionals and students have
a duty towards their communities and the people of South Africa. The
Hippocratic Oath we undertake encompasses that: “I will remember that
there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy,
and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s
drug.”
20
ISSUE 99 OCTOBER 2017 / www.modernathlete.co.za