Dr Sadna Balton is Head of Speech Therapy & Audiology Unit at Joburg’s Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital. She started working at the Speech Therapy & Audiology department straight after graduating at the university of Witwatersrand (Wits), where she’s been serving for 29 years. To Dr Balton, healthcare is an essential part of everyday life. It is about getting people back to work, getting children back to school and with the little ones, identifying difficulties early.
She believes integrity is connected to passion and purpose. She is passionate about social justice, people centred care and developing people – therefore this is her purpose – and staying true to her purpose allows her to serve with integrity. Described as a dedicated servant that stands firm by her morals and what she believes in, Dr Balton believes that as a public servant it is her responsibility to serve as a change agent, to change people’s perceptions about how they see public servants and their experiences.
As head of Speech Therapy & Audiology, she leads a diverse team of clinicians and she believes in the importance of being culturally and linguistically congruent. She is actively involved in leading transformational change at the hospital involving both hospital staff and patients.