A South African doctor is paying it forward, quite literally.
Dr. Paulo de Valdoleiros got his medical start rather late in life, only enrolling in his studies at the age of 46 and graduating at the age of 51.
“I believe that medicine is my calling, it’s something that you’re born for, and I have always wanted to do this,” he said. “We all chase money, but I’m tired of chasing money, I don’t want to be the boss and be in charge, I just want to do what I like to do, and that is help people,” de Valdoleiros said to the Bloemfontein Courant.
The Bloemfontein resident has decided to open a practice where patients can walk in and only have to pay what they can afford.
“Basically, the concept was I can take care of anybody — you pay what you can afford,” de Valdoleiros said. “So, I see the patient; I examine if necessary. We give out basic medication, and by basic medication, I mean the type of medicine that has been around for about 40 years, so it is relatively cheap… I see the patient; I give them medication if necessary. You then go to the reception, and you decide your fee. The staff are trained not to tell you what it is or what it isn’t because we don’t have a set fee. It’s what you decide, what you can afford — it’s between you and your conscience. In a sense, I’m getting people to make decisions they have never had to make. I feel that just because you don’t have money shouldn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to see a doctor,” he said in an interview with the Gateway News.
