Dr Shaal Ramdial

Dr Shaal Ramdial attended Westville Boys’ High School where he was also the Deputy Head Boy. He was placed among the top 30 matriculants for the Senior Certificate Examination.

Following his matriculation, Dr Ramdial attended the University of Natal where he completed his medical degree (MBChB). He served his internship at Addington Hospital in Durban acquiring skills in Surgery, Internal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Psychiatry, Orthopaedic Surgery and Anaesthetics. His community service was in the South African Military Health Service and he was stationed at 121 South African Infantry Battalion in Mtubatuba, KwaZulu-Natal.

Upon completion of his community service, Dr Ramdial trained as a registrar in General Surgery. He was exposed to a variety of fields while in General Surgery – Critical Care Medicine, Burns Surgery and Trauma Surgery were of particular interest to him.

Following his time in General Surgery, Dr Ramdial began his training in Plastic Surgery. He spent the majority of his time at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban. He also worked at Grey’s Hospital in Pietermaritzburg and St Aidan’s Hospital in Durban. When on call, Dr Ramdial would field referrals from throughout KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.

He completed his specialisation in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and became a Fellow of the College of Plastic Surgeons of South Africa – FC Plast Surg (SA). Additionally, Dr Ramdial enrolled in the Masters programme and was awarded his Masters in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (MMed) for his research – “The spectrum of intraoral bacteria seen in patients with cleft palates in an African Setting.” He was awarded the prestigious Dutch Association of Facial Plastic Surgery (DAFPRS) Fellowship and worked in Dublin, Republic of Ireland at Temple Street Children’s University Hospital and Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.

Dr Ramdial was a full-time consultant at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital prior to starting in private practice. While in the department, he was involved in all forms of plastic surgery and was an integral part of the reconstructive microsurgery team.

His work in the field has allowed him to partner with several charitable organisations, most notably Operation Smile and Smile Foundation. His highlight with Operation Smile was an outreach mission to Antananarivo, Madagascar; while his work with Smile Foundation allowed him to become part of the first team from KwaZulu-Natal to perform successful facial reanimation surgery. His other highlights include being part of the plastic surgical team which successfully separated conjoined twins at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital; and a mammoth 27-hour-long operation to excise an abdominal wall tumour.

Dr Ramdial has published research in the fields of neonatal (newborn) chest wall reconstruction and craniofacial surgery. He is a voracious reader of both medical and non-medical works. Dr Ramdial has attended a multitude of conferences, symposia and courses over the years. He regularly attends the annual Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons of Southern Africa Congress. He has also attended the World Society for Reconstructive Microsurgery conference in Seoul, South Korea; the Chang Gung-Mayo Clinic conference in Munich, Germany; and the European Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons in Limassol, Cyprus.