24 / 60
CARDIOVASCULAR JOURNAL OF AFRICA • Volume 32, No 2, March/April 2021
78
AFRICA
In Memorium
Somalingum Ponnusamy: 1/9/58 to 10/2/21
It is with great sadness that I inform the medical fraternity of the
untimely passing of Dr Somalingum Ponnusamy at the age of 62
years after a protracted battle with COVID-19 illness. His death
is a sad loss to his family, medical colleagues, the military and the
community he served. It has left a huge gap in the Department
of Cardiology at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Hospital, where he was
the head of the clinical unit.
Leslie, as he was affectionately known, was born in the district
of Sea Cow Lake, Durban on 1 September 1958. Shortly after
he completed schooling, he joined the University of Durban
Westville but was targeted by the previous government during
the Soweto uprising. He went into exile, leaving for India in 1978,
and completed a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Science with
a Government of India scholarship. He returned to Zambia in
1988, won a United Nations scholarship to study medicine and
graduated with his MB ChB at Medunsa in 1996. While rotating
as a registrar in internal medicine in 2002, he became attracted
to cardiology and joined the department in 2004.
From the outset, Leslie dedicated himself wholly to serving
the department, to the exclusion of his own social and family
life. During this period, Leslie’s managerial skills became
evident and he became the head of the clinical unit in 2009.
Leslie’s dedication to duty is unparalleled in the history of the
department. He gave selflessly to his patients and his community,
sacrificing family time and friends, as well as foregoing his own
career development. He worked tirelessly at co-ordinating the
cardiology service in KwaZulu-Natal and ensured the smooth
running of the department. After work he was usually the last
person to leave the department. Often I would see his car in the
parking lot late at night and find him still working in his office.
In 2010 he won the RC Fraser International Fellowship in
Cardiovascular Intervention at St Thomas Hospital and then
developed an interest in electrophysiology. He was responsible for
convening the ECG and pacemaker workshops and all of us will
remember his enthusiasm for the annual cardiology update, which
he organised for 16 years in a row since the third update in 2005.
Leslie touched many lives in his lifetime, both within and
outside the department, and his passing leaves a huge void and
immense sadness among the staff. In the words of the one of the
departmental staff, he was a father to the department. He was a
deeply caring, humble and unassuming person who gave fully of
himself without expecting anything in return. Many of us will
remember the great pains he took to juggle the rosters in order
to accommodate often unreasonable leave requests. Through
his passion for cardiology, he has produced many cardiology
graduates and his legacy will live on in the code of discipline he
instilled in the members of the department (which I often mused
was a skill that arose from his military training). We have learnt
so much from him and he has ensured that the cardiology service
will continue in his absence.
Leslie will be deeply missed and we will always appreciate
his contribution to the department. In years to come, we will
remember the guard of honour that was held for him the day he
left the hospital for the last time, when the whole hospital staff
came out in droves to pay their last respects and contributions to
a great doctor and colleague. In some way Leslie touched all of
us, and in his own inimitable manner, endeared himself to one
and all through his strength of character and selfless leadership.
Life will not be the same without him. As hard it may seem,
Leslie would have wanted us to soldier on together during these
difficult times.
We will forever treasure fond memories of him walking
the passages of the hospital. May his family and friends find
strength and comfort during this time, knowing that he was
highly respected and highly valued by his peers.
Prof DP Naidoo (acting head)
Somalingum Ponnusamy