"Cure sometimes, treat
often and comfort always"
- Hippocrates
About Dr AK Pillay
Dr Ashegan Pillay completed his undergraduate training (MBBCh) in 2006 at the University of Witwatersrand and went on to complete his internship and community service at King Edward VIII and RK Khan hospitals in Durban, respectively. During his community service, while working in a casualty setting, he obtained a Diploma in Emergency Medicine. His interest in addressing complex medical problems and arriving at holistic, patient-focused treatment plans led him to join Internal Medicine, initially as a medical officer and later as a registrar. During his post-graduate training, he rotated through all major public hospitals in the greater eThekwini health district and gained experience in general medicine and various subspecialities, including Cardiology, Pulmonology, Critical Care, Geriatrics, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Rheumatology and Endocrinology....read more
He qualified as a Specialist Physician in 2014 and worked as a consultant in the public sector since 2015, during which he completed his Masters degree in Medicine, his thesis focusing on young patients with coronary artery disease. His keen interest in diet- and lifestyle-associated diseases such as obesity and diabetes led him to pursue further training in Metabolic and Endocrine disease, and in 2017, he was awarded the Discovery Fellowship for Subspeciality Training. He completed his Subspeciality training at the Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in 2018, and served as a full-time consultant in the department between 2019-2023.
Dr Pillay has closely participated in the UKZN academic program for undergraduate and postgraduate training during his years in public service, teaching and supervising medical students, registrars and other health care professionals. He has a passion for ongoing self-education, research, keeping up-to-date with medical literature, and providing outreach and education to the community and other health care professionals. His special interests include obesity and metabolic syndrome, youth-onset type 2 diabetes, diabetes remission and nutritional therapies for diabetes and obesity. He has been involved in the development of national guidelines for diabetes and thyroid disease, and has served as an executive member of the Society for Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes of South Africa (SEMDSA).
Dr Pillay's Philosophy
Dr Pillay’s philosophy is that healing, in many respects, begins within. Achieving metabolic or hormonal balance must be in conjunction with an overall sense of psychological and
emotional well-being.
He believes in the power of the mind-body connection and its profound influence on the course of disease.
He aims to deliver a holistic, patient-centred, evidence-based service, that addresses not only the pathophysiological aspects of the disease but its impact on a patient’s quality of
life.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I visit a Specialist Physician?
• Patients are usually referred to a Specialist Physician when they present with clinical problems that are beyond the scope of a general practitioner to fully evaluate or manage.
• These include acute complications of chronic medical conditions such as diabetic crises or acute exacerbations of asthma or heart failure, multiple co-existing medical conditions with complex treatment regimens, or conditions with unusual or unexplained clinical presentations.
• A Specialist Physician, usually in a hospital setting, is responsible for further investigations such as laboratory tests, radiological or nuclear imaging and other specialist investigations.
• The Physician is also responsible for deciding on the short-, medium- and long-term treatment plan, considering the patient’s preferences, comorbidities, lifestyle and interactions between medications.
When should I visit a Diabetologist and Endocrinologist?
• A patient may attend or be referred to a Subspecialist Diabetologist and Endocrinologist when they have metabolic or endocrine conditions that are beyond the scope of the General Practitioner or General Physician to diagnose or manage.
• These Subspecialists have undergone further training in the evaluation and management of diabetes and its complications, other metabolic problems such as high cholesterol and obesity, and various endocrine (hormonal) diseases such as those affecting the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal and pituitary glands.
• Patients with difficult-to-control diabetes (type 1 or 2, or other less common types) often benefit from attending a Diabetologist, who works with a multi-disciplinary team including a nurse educator, dietitian, podiatrist and other care providers.
• Endocrinologists rely on several basal and dynamic (stimulation or suppression) tests to further evaluate endocrine system disorders, as well as various imaging modalities (CT, MRI, nuclear imaging).
Do I need to be referred by my GP or primary care provider?
You may be referred by your GP or primary care provider, or another specialist.
Patients may also book appointments directly.
How do I book an appointment?
You may book an appointment by contacting the practice reception telephonically, via email or online booking.
What is required for a new patient visit?
• We request that new patients arrive 15-30 minutes prior to the appointment to complete a pre-consult questionnaire and have vital signs, measurements, glucose and urine dipstick tests done.
• Minors under the age of 18 years are expected to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
What is the cancellation policy?
Please contact the practice reception 24 hours prior to your appointment to request cancellation or rescheduling of the appointment.
What Medical Aids does the practice accept?
The practice accepts all medical aids, however, should the cost of the outpatient consultation not be fully covered, a co-payment (cash or card) may be required. Dr Pillay is contracted to Discovery and GEMS, and members of these medical aids do not require a co-payment.
What are the payment options?
The practice does accept medical aid payments, however, facilities for on-site cash and credit card payments are available.