My dream has been to set up  diabetes centre 

Dr Salwa Shahbal is a medical doctor specialising in diabetes care and is the founder of the Diabetes Management Centre in Nairobi. PHOTO | DENNIS ONSONGO

What you need to know:

  • As my passion in diabetes grew I decided to enroll and do another Master’s in Science in Diabetes at Cardiff University.
  • I just finished my first two years and the thesis comes next. After working for Avenue, I moved back to Mombasa where I started and ran a diabetes clinic at Avenue Clinic in Mombasa for about a year then returned to Nairobi where I was attached to a diabetologist as I finished my masters. 
  • The one advice I can give doctors: we need to fight for some form of business training in medical school. Nobody trains you to be your own boss. So, we are very good at managing people’s health but we literally have no idea about running a clinic.

Tell us about yourself...

I graduated from the University of Nairobi’s medical school in 2008. I did my internship at Coast Provincial and General Hospital. When I finished my internship, I worked for Aga Khan Hospital in Mombasa for about two years then I moved to Nairobi and got a job with Avenue Healthcare. While I was working here at Avenue, I joined something called the Buddy Initiative, which is a training for young doctors who are interested in diabetes.

And I started seeing patients with my mentor in the diabetes clinic at Avenue. When I moved to Nairobi, I started a Master’s in Science in International Management at the University of Liverpool, taking health as a sub-specialty. As my passion in diabetes grew I decided to enroll and do another Master’s in Science in Diabetes at Cardiff University.

I just finished my first two years and the thesis comes next. After working for Avenue, I moved back to Mombasa where I started and ran a diabetes clinic at Avenue Clinic in Mombasa for about a year then returned to Nairobi where I was attached to a diabetologist as I finished my masters. 

What inspired your opening of the Diabetes Management Centre? Did you always have passion to run your own facility?

For people who really know me, they know that I have always wanted to have my own facility. I have big dreams; I’m thinking of this clinic not just as a clinic but to develop it into a centre of excellence in diabetes; so that 50 years down the line when I’m not here, the Diabetes Management Centre will still be running. So to answer your question, yes, I have always wanted to open my own clinic. 

How has been the going so far?

Let me tell you something. It is the one advice I can give doctors: we need to fight for some form of business training in medical school. Nobody trains you to be your own boss. So, we are very good at managing people’s health but we literally have no idea about running a clinic. That’s why you’ll find most of the time, businessmen are the ones that own and run health facilities.

Although more and more doctors are doing MBAs, the numbers are not corresponding to the amount of facilities that should be there.  I am extremely grateful for the uptake I have received from everyone including the clients I already have. All I can say is that you need to be positive and focused and have a good support system.  

Will running the diabetes centre mean you’ll have to quit whatever engagements you have?

Honestly I feel this is a personal choice. I have friends who juggle 2-3 different hospitals and others who choose to be in only one. My belief is consistency is key to a successful business and clients need to find you at your facility in order for them to gain trust in you.  

Who will be the target clientele?

Of course it’s a diabetes centre and so the first client is a diabetic patient. But my focus in diabetes is actually in prevention. As a country, as Africa, we really can’t afford being diabetic. It’s very expensive. I always tell my patients: ‘The first thing you need to know about being diabetic is that the better care you take of yourself at the beginning, the less money you spend.’ With that being said, my second important clientele are all those at high risk of diabetes. These are people who have a strong family history of diabetes and those struggling with obesity/are overweight.  

Tell us about your family.

I’m originally from Mombasa. We are four children in the family and I’m the third born. Actually, my dad is diabetic, and so are many of my uncles and other family members. So diabetes is very close to home. 

Father and uncles? Is there anything to do with being male and being susceptible to diabetes?

There is no coincidence. Actually, research says that men have a higher risk; both of diabetes and heart disease. And one of the theories is because men tend to generate fat around their bellies. And that’s usually the fat that puts you at risk of heart disease and diabetes. 

How do you unwind?

I like reading. I love spending time with my family and friends. I have a few family members here; my brother is here with his wife, and my cousin is here; so I like spending time with them. I like discovering restaurants and I really like going home to Mombasa. 

In terms of personality, are you a cat or a dog?

A dog, he might look scarier than the cat but there’s a reason why dogs are man’s best friend. They would do anything for those they love.  

Book or movie?

Definitely book. Because in movies, they never talk about the tiny details. There’s never enough time for them to focus on the details of the story. And the fun is in the details. Every detail is important. I’m a kind of perfectionist.  

What is the one thing you’d wish to tell Kenyans about diabetes?

Diabetes is a fact. It’s not a rich man’s disease any more. It’s affecting all of us and it’s growing exponentially and our economy cannot afford to have us as diabetics. So, we need to take care of ourselves. We need to go back to eating healthy and exercising.