PAINLESS LIFESTYLE
Treating Pain, Treating Life
WHO IS DR RUBEN NAIDOO?
Dr Rubendren Naidoo
Anaesthesiologist and Pain Specialist
MBChB(UCT); DipObst(SA); DA(SA); FCA(SA); MMed(Anes)(Stel); PGDip(Int Pain)(UCT)
Dr Naidoo is an anaesthesiologist with special interest in chronic pain management, medical law and bioethics.
He graduated from UCT with an MBChB in 2004. His interests in anaesthesia began early on in his training, that he completed an elective in anaesthesia during his 5th year of medical school at the Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, India. His anaesthesia training began with completing the South African Diploma in Anaesthesia in 2007.
Before specialising, Ruben travelled the world, working as the anaesthetist and generalist on the remote South Atlantic Ocean island of St Helena, and then venturing on cruise ships were he travelled the globe working with Royal Caribbean International as a Ship's Physician.
Ruben specialised at Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town, and obtained his Masters in Medicine in Anaesthesia from Stellenbosch University. After completing his specialist training, we was award a consultant post at Tygerberg, where he was actively involved in clinical training, and where he worked at the Chronic Pain Clinic. In 2018, Ruben completed the UCT post-graduate diploma in interdisciplinary pain management in 2018.
Ruben eventually left the mountainous views of Grape Town in 2018 to establish himself in private practice amongst the warm, loving and hospitable people of Johannesburg.
He is also currently studying a Masters in Law (LLM) degree in Medical Law and Bioethics via University of Edinburgh, UK.
His interests in anaesthesia include anaesthesia for oncological surgeries, opioid sparing techniques and ultrasound guided regional anaesthesia for intra-operative pain care.
When managing chronic pain, Dr Naidoo employs a multimodal pharma and non-pharma approach, combined with an interventional practise aimed at facilitating pain free physical therapy and muscle strength building. A major focus is around Pain Neuroscience Education, which has level one evidence for the effective management of chronic pain.
Dr Naidoo’s aim in a chronic pain service is to redefine the patients’ pain experience and improve patient quality of life. His interests in Chronic pain include management of cancer pain and the science of neuronal plasticity.
WHAT IS ANAESTHESIA
Anaesthesia is an induced state of altered consciousness, that exists to reduce patient's anxiety during surgery; to ensure as little pain as possible and to provide the most optimal conditions for a surgeon to produce their best surgical skills. Anaesthetists ensure that you are safe during surgery, by applying their skills with physiology, pharmacology and physics. They conduct the orchestra that will produce a harmonious outcome from your surgical journey.
There are different types of anaesthesia
Conscious sedation; Local Anaesthesia; Regional Anaesthesia; General Anaesthesia
One of more of these procedures can be combined to provide you with the best care during your surgery. The choice of anaesthetic depends on the nature of the surgery, your general health status and your own personal preference. Your anaesthesiologist will determine the best anaesthetic type for your specific case. You are encouraged to ask your anaesthesiologist any questions you may have regarding the type of anaesthetic planned.
Further information can be found from the American Society of Anaesthesiologists website: https://www.asahq.org/madeforthismoment/anesthesia-101/types-of-anesthesia/
CHRONIC PAIN CLINIC
A Happier, Healthier You
Dr Naidoo consults with patients suffering with chronic pain on a Wednesday Morning at the sessional rooms at Morningside Mediclinic.
Details on this website will follow in due course, regarding the chronic pain services that he offers.
In the interim, if you have any queries, please leave a comment/question in the "contact us" box below.
Appointments can be booked with Siyanda at:
Suite 311, East Wing
Sessional Rooms
Mediclinic Morningside
Tel: +27 11 282 5318
RISKS OF ANAESTHESIA
Quality Care
Anaesthesia can never be guaranteed to be event free. Though the risks of complications are rare, one must be aware that should complications occur, they can be severe. Your risk for complications is determined by your co-morbidities, your age, your physical functionality, your weight and your genetic predisposition. These will be discussed with you by your anaesthetist.
Despite preventative measures, advancements in anaesthesia and best anaesthetic techniques being applied, there are still risks involved in anaesthesia. A non-exhaustive list includes the following:
Common side effects: drowsiness, sore throat, nausea and vomiting, minor damage to tongue and lips.
Rare complications: peripheral and/or other nerve injuries, bleeding, allergic reactions, damage to teeth and caps, airway injuries, abrasion to eyes, soft tissue injuries, vascular injuries, pneumothorax, muscle pains and aspiration of stomach contents.
Extremely rare complications: awareness during anaesthesia, hypoxia, cardiac arrest, brain damage and even death.
For more information on anaesthesia risks, please refer to the anaesthesia page on this website:
https://patient.info/doctor/important-complications-of-anaesthesia
PREPARING FOR YOUR ANAESTHESIA
Quality Care
Preparing for your anaesthesia can be a very stressful period.
Its important that your try get enough rest and stay well hydrated the day before surgery.
Please stop eating and drinking all solid foods and liquids from 22h00 the night before.
It is recommended to not take any of your chronic medication the morning of surgery, but should you need to take any medication the morning of surgery, you are welcome to have a sip of water with your medication.
Please bring your all your medication with to the hospital on the day of surgery. If you do not know your medication names, please try and write a list of the medication names before arriving in hospital.
If you have had any previous X-rays, Scans, please also bring these with you.
Please read through the sections above about what is anaesthesia, what are the risks of anaesthesia and please see information below regarding the anaesthesia billing for your procedure.
These are the same information that will feature on the anaesthesia consent form, which you will need to sign before giving the anaesthetist permission to continue with anaesthesia.
PRE-OPERATIVE EVALUATION
Personal Information and Medical History
Should you have a confirmed date for anaesthesia with Dr Ruben Naidoo, please follow the link to complete your personal and medical history.
The information gathered is accessed only via Dr Naidoo via a password secured email address.
https://paperless.mobiletheatre.net/Dr-R-Naidoo-patient-form
BILLING FOR ANAESTHESIA SERVICES
A Happier, Healthier You
Please note that your Anaesthetic Fee is separate from your hospital and separate from the surgeon’s account.
This anaesthetic practice charges private rates which can exceed the NHPRL rates (the rate mostly applied by the Medical Aid companies), but which are fully in accordance with the relevant HPCSA Fee Guidelines.
Patients with Private Medical Aid and Gap Cover will be billed at private rates.
These rates are consistent with Discovery Classic rates and may be more than the rate paid by your medical aid plan.
A medical aid plan does not suggest that the full fee is covered. This is determined by your choice of Medical Scheme and choice of Plan.
The anaesthetic fee is based on 4 components, namely the preoperative assessment, the type of procedure, a time-based fee for the procedure, and basic fee modifiers.
This Anaesthetic practice is only contracted to the Discovery medical aid scheme. As of April 2021, we are no longer contracted to any other Medical Aid.
You are reminded that, depending on your choice of Medical Aid or Insurance Plan, your Healthcare Funder may only cover PART of the anaesthetic fee, and therefore you will be liable for a co-payment in the event of your Medical Aid/Insurer not paying the full account, or where your Medical Aid fails to pay for any reason.
You are personally responsible for the full settlement of the account within 60 days of invoice, and that thereafter interest will be levied on all overdue costs.
Should the medical aid not pay within 60 days or pay short, it is your personal responsibility to pay the shortfall.
Please note that your agreement with your Medical Insurer is between you and your medical insurer. The anaesthesiologist is totally separate to that agreement.
You are welcome to discuss the billing rate with the anaesthesiologist at any time.
BILLING FOR CHRONIC PAIN SERVICES
Here For You
All consultations will be settled directly after the consult. You will be provided an invoice with which you can use to claim from your medical aid.
Should you require any procedure for your chronic pain, these will be submitted to your medical insurer at the discovery classic rate. Should there be any shortfall in payment, you will be liable.
You are welcome to request a quote before the procedure to submit to your healthcare funder.
FEEDBACK
Quality Care
We would greatly appreciate if you had any feedback, to please send a comment on the comment box below, and we can publish this for other readers. We value your time and would love to hear about your experience
CONTACT US
CHRONIC PAIN CONSULTING HOURS
Come Visit
Wednesday 8am-11am
Suite 311, East Wing
Sessional Rooms
Mediclinic Morningside
Tel: +27 11 282 5318
