Dr Robert van der Plank

has a special interest in hip and knee replacements as well as arthroscopic surgery. He is in private practice at Olivedale Clinic, a private Netcare Hospital in the North West of Johannesburg.

In order to keep up with the latest technologies and inventions in the field, Dr van der Plank attends surgeries with designer surgeons or invites them to assist in his surgeries when they visit. They include Dr Derek McMinn from Warwick, United Kingdom (designer surgeon of the Birmingham hip resurfacing and researcher into metal on metal technology) and Dr. Mike Solomons, Australia (designer surgeon of the mid head resection implant).

Dr van der Plank takes part in an ongoing commitment to teach arthroscopic surgery to Orthopaedic surgeons in Kenya. He has presented a paper on Sepsis within joint replacements to the Kenyan Orthopaedic Association and he regularly invites Kenyan surgeons to observe procedures in South Africa. Dr van der Plank also teaches locally. He performs between 100 and 120 joint replacements a year.

Dr van der Plank regularly presents at the South African Orthopaedic Association and the South African Arthroplasty Society, he chairs peer review meetings and assists as a key opinion leader for several entities.

When he is not performing surgeries, Rob likes to unwind in the bush and visit art galleries.

Qualifications:

  • M.B.Ch.B – Bachelors in Medicine, University of the Witwatersrand
  • FCS (Orth.) University of the Witwatersrand

Fellowships:

  • Sir John Charnley (United Kingdom) 1994-1995

Registrations with Professional Associations:

  • Health Professions Council of South Africa – registered as a Specialist Orthopaedic Surgeon (MP 0274143)
  • Member of the South African Orthopaedic Association
  • Member of the South African Arthroplasty Society

Lee Kruger

Our practice manager is on hand to help with everything from accounting to appointments. Lee has a strong medical reception, administration and customer service skills background and has extensive medical administration experience.

Lee has strong communication skills and an outgoing, energetic personality which is customer service focused. She thoroughly enjoys dealing with a wide variety of people and take pride in being a customer orientated employee.

Lee has two beautiful daughters and loves spending time with her family.

 

 

 Sister Jessie Groenewald

Our practice nursing sister studied nursing/midwifery at Wits. Marriage and motherhood took her on a different path for a while, before she started practicing her craft again. Jessie started at the practice in 2010, and takes care of the post operative dressings and other nursing requirements; theatre bookings; prosthetic ordering and other aspects of the practice administration.

Jessie likes the fact that she gets the best of both worlds at the practice: working with the patients and having normal working hours.

Jessie is married, with grown up children. She loves crafting, spending time with her grandchildren,  and being a “home body”. Yoga keeps her sane.