At 82, Dr Dolly Nyasulu Earns PhD and Champions Family-Centred Postnatal Care

At the remarkable age of 82, Dr Dolly Nontuthuzelo Nyasulu has graduated with a Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), proving that age is no barrier to learning and the pursuit of a lifelong dream.

“I feel incredibly good and very excited,” said Nyasulu. “I still can’t believe that I have made it to the finish line. It has been such a long journey, with many challenges along the way, so reaching this point feels very special to me.”

Nyasulu’s doctoral study, ‘A Family-Centred Postnatal Care Approach (FCPC) in Rural KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Province, South Africa’, explored the potential of involving families more meaningfully in the care of mothers and newborns. The study was supervised by Professor Myra Taylor and Dr Nelisiwe Khuzwayo. Her research was informed by decades of experience in nursing, midwifery, maternal and newborn health, education and healthcare policy.

At the heart of her research is the concept of family-centred postnatal care, an approach in which family members work collaboratively with healthcare providers, including midwives, to care for mothers and their newborns. Midwives and other key informants responded positively to the approach and offered suggestions for strengthening family involvement even before the birth of a baby is born.

Nyasulu believes that successful implementation of family-centred care could help strengthen the continuum of maternal and newborn care and potentially contribute to saving the lives of mothers and babies. While family-centred care is not a new concept internationally, she notes that it has not yet been fully implemented within South Africa’s healthcare system.

Born in King William’s Town in the Eastern Cape, Nyasulu is the eldest of nine children. Her professional journey began with general nursing, followed by midwifery, psychiatric nursing, advanced midwifery and neonatal nursing. She later completed a Bachelor of Nursing Degree in Community Health Nursing and Nursing Administration and a Clinical Master’s in Nursing specialising in Maternal, Child and Women’s Health.

Her passion began with her nursing training at Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth in 1964. She was fascinated by the stories shared by midwives who travelled to women’s homes to deliver babies. These births involved entire families, with relatives participating in different ways to support the mother and the midwife.

Those experiences left a lasting impression on the young nurse and inspired her to specialise in midwifery. “This study feels like a full-circle moment for me,” she said, having spent decades studying and practising midwifery before returning to the importance of family involvement in childbirth and maternal care.

Her career has included serving as KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Maternal, Child and Women’s Health Coordinator and working on initiatives focused on maternal and newborn health. She has also contributed to midwifery education, healthcare policy and the development of national and provincial maternal and newborn care guidelines.

Her PhD studies were marked by significant personal challenges. During her studies, Nyasulu lost her daughter in 2019, followed by two brothers and, a few years later, her husband, Guy, who had been her greatest supporter. She also faced health challenges and had to adapt to the technological demands of postgraduate study.

Yet, with the support of her family and supervisors, she persevered. “In many ways, I feel that I did not walk this journey alone,” she said. “There were people around me who carried me when I no longer felt I could carry myself.”

Her determination was also inspired by her parents’ belief in education and the encouragement of her late brother, Professor Leonard Vuyani Mabinya, who motivated her to pursue studies beyond a master’s degree.

Now retired but still open to new opportunities, Nyasulu remains passionate about contributing to maternal, newborn and women’s health. Her extraordinary academic achievement adds another chapter to a lifetime dedicated to serving mothers, babies, families and healthcare professionals.

At 82, she graduated not only with a PhD, but with a powerful message to future generations: it is never too late to learn, to persevere and to make a meaningful contribution to society.

Words: Sejal Desai

Photo: Sethu Dlamini