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7 Sep

Pathology Lab Pioneer & Medical Technician Ncumisa Adams Defies Odds!

Photo: supplied

Thirty-three year old Ncumisa Adams hails from a small town called Elliotdale in the Eastern Cape, where she has defied the odds by becoming a Medical Technician by profession – a career not well known or highly pursued.

“Growing up I’ve always been a go-getter. I’m determined to open doors that nobody even thought existed and I always make it a point to make my presence positively felt in environments I find myself in,” she says.

Her childhood and background were marred with challenges but coupled with her medical profession, she realised that the health system is overburdened, especially regarding pathology testing.

“Our people would have to wait for days and even weeks before they could get their blood test results which would lead to a prolonged diagnosis process, and that would mean late administration of treatment. Some would even lose their lives whilst waiting for results. So, I thought I should start a laboratory that would be easily accessible to the people and had affordable rates, making it accessible even to those that are not working,” Adams added.

Photo: supplied

This, then gave birth to what we now know as Econolab – a fully functional pathology lab centre aimed at bringing convenient healthcare services at affordable rates. This specialist centre arose out of a partnership with a number of other doctors in Gauteng.

Adams has always had an inkling that she was destined for greater things – when asked about when she realised her potential, she said: “It took time for me to know that I can actually open a business to close the gap I was seeing in the market and to work alongside people with expertise to partner with and run this professional business.”

She cites that in any business, there are challenges – but the key is to maintain determination and resilience. She attributes her success to the ability to set goals for herself and try to be different, knowing what sets her apart from her competitors.

When asked about what she would do differently, given the chance, she said she would hire according to attitude and not qualifications.

Photo: supplied

“If you are running a startup, there are many financial constraints, so if your team understands your goal and are a part of our dream team, attitude would be of assistance. For example, with a good attitude, a technician can also be a specimens receptionist and a phlebotomist can also do courier duties, etc.” Adams said.

She acknowledges the challenges involved in the starting of a business and despite the rough patches that might affect the business – she mentions that she observes the mistakes done by other entrepreneurs and tries to not repeat the same errors.

Her parting words were: “With a dream, everything is possible. I give thanks to the Almighty and Amanyange for walking me through and I ask them to still be with me. We have a long way to go, this is only the beginning.”

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