Onazo Daniso, 29, juggled her medical studies by day and was a part-time nurse by night, driven by a deep belief that becoming a doctor was her true calling.
She was forced to do her first four-year degree in nursing. However, while working as a nurse, she pursued her dream of becoming a doctor.
On May 14, she graduated cum laude from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery.
“I have always wanted to be a doctor. I can’t imagine doing anything else. And I love my job; I think I would have been miserable doing something else,” she said.
Passion for medicine
Daniso’s passion for medicine was inspired by the healthcare challenges she observed growing up in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape. Her ambition to become a doctor was solidified in Grade 11 while living with her uncle in King William’s Town.
“I was attending extra classes that were funded by Cell C to help pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. One of the teachers pulled me aside and suggested I consider medicine. At first, I doubted myself,” she said.
In 2013, she applied to study medicine but was accepted for nursing instead. She started her nursing degree in 2014, while facing financial difficulties.
Her persistence led her to write to the vice-chancellor, which helped cover her first-year fees. A private bursary funded her second year, and NSFAS supported her final two years. She completed her degree in 2018 and did a year of paid community service. But she still felt unfulfilled.
“I always told my colleagues I was going back to study medicine. I needed to understand more and to be part of the decision-making,” she explained.
Mounting challenges
Daniso faced a challenge due to her bursary. It required her to work for the sponsoring company for three years after community service. Instead of giving up, she took control of her situation by saving over two-thirds of her salary each month.
“I continued living like a student just to save money,” she said.
By year-end, she had scraped together the R116,000 needed to repay the bursar. She also had some money needed to register at UKZN.
She started her medical degree at UKZN in 2019. In February, she commuted between Bloemfontein and Durban to attend classes while completing her community service contract.
In March, she moved to Durban full-time. Facing uncertain funding, she launched a BackaBuddy campaign that raised R11,000. She then returned to part-time nursing to support herself.
Then came Covid-19 in 2020.
Surviving lockdown
“We were sent home and only returned to campus around June,” she said.
As lockdowns deepened and hospitals filled, Daniso took shifts in high-risk wards, the so-called “red zones”.
“In December, I worked at a private hospital. I was the nursing sister, working six night shifts a week with just one day off. So many patients died. I still remember some of their faces. I hated the system and how powerless it made us feel.”
She paused her nursing career to care for her mental health due to the trauma. However, the pandemic strengthened her resolve to continue in medicine.
Staying the course
“It made me more certain that I needed to become a doctor.”
She returned to her studies and, in the years that followed, continued to work and study under intense pressure. She made the best of her years as a student, even holding key student leadership positions.
“I felt the need to serve my community, and so I served as a student leader. I think I was motivated by all the hardships I had faced as a student. And I kept on seeing these gaps that needed to be plugged,” Daniso said.
