Xtraordinary Women Magazine June 2014 | Page 8

Postmortem – The Doctor Who Walked Away By Maria Phalime Maria Phalime is one of South Africa’s newest award-winning authors. Born and raised in the Johannesburg township of Soweto, Maria moved to Cape Town in 1991 to pursue her studies at UCT, from where she graduated with a BSc (1993) and MBChB (1999). She practiced for a brief period as a general practitioner in South Africa and the United Kingdom before electing to leave medical practice. Postmortem – The Doctor Who Walked Away chronicles Maria’s time as a medical doctor, from her training at UCT to her decision to leave clinical practice. “This is my story and the stories of other doctors who chose to walk away. Ours is a private anguish filled with the niggling suspicion that we should have been stronger, more committed, more able to handle the daily realities of practicing medicine in South Africa.” Postmortem is the winner of the City Press Nonfiction Award (2012). It is available from all major bookstores. For more information contact: Maria Phalime T: 082 551-2288 W: www.mariaphalime.com E: [email protected] F: www.facebook.com/mariaphalimeauthor t: @MariaPhalime