Mana Kasongo
Attending Emergency Medicine Physician at Crisp Regional Hospital in Cordele, Georgia
Medical Practice
Education: DePaul University - Rush Medical School/New York University-Bellevue Hospital Residency/Columbia School of Journalism
Leesburg, GA, USA
Biography
I am a board certified emergency physician as well as a nationally published writer, along with a frequent medical contributor to Newsy, the fastest growing, internet based newsroom. I believe strongly that an ethnically diverse physician pool is a must in order to improve communication between doctors and patients and improve patient outcomes. I believe to whom much is given, much is expected. I have travelled multiple times to Kenya to facilitate free clinics to rural parts of the country. I also went to Haiti to help with medical care 4 days after the devastating 2010 earthquake. I am an African born, American raised , northern trained emergency physician who calls rural southwest Georgia home. I think this is a unique perspective that should be highlighted. I also work at a critical access hospital in one of the poorest parts of the state, so I take care of people that don’t have any other care available to them. This position while gratifying at times, can be challenging especially when put under the weight of frequent weather disasters and now a global pandemic . I am also proud to have recently been named one of the top docs of 2021 and mentioned in Who’s Who in medicine.
Passion
I love discussing the intersectionality of race, social justice and healthcare. I’m quite passionate about how covid 19 has permanently changed our lives
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
Everything is negotiable
Topics
Best Story
When i went to Kenya several years ago, i was running a clinic in a rural village called Kisumu. During my rounds, i found a young fully termed pregnant woman in what is known as obstructive labor. She had been in labor for over 24 hours without much progression. I quickly assessed with a combination of my clinical exam and their rudimentary instruments that both she and her unborn child were in danger of dying. I didn’t have the tools to perform an emergency c-section, so I and the pastor that accompanied me on this trip drove to the house of the only surgeon in the village and begged him to help her. Kenya’s healthcare is fee for service, so we had to pay him several hundred dollars to perform the c-section. The young mother gave birth to a healthy baby boy. When i came back the next day to visit, i was honestly surprised to see the baby had made it. At the time, i felt we were just trying to save the mother. And also, much to my surprise, i found out that they had named their son, Mana. Other than the birth of my own children, i don’t think I’ve ever cried so hard in my life. Tears of joy. of course. I wondered if they realized that Mana was a girl’s name. I never told them that. Later my mom reminded me that Mana is a biblical name which means ‘ food from heaven.’ Mom’s always know best
Origin Story
I was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is a country that the UN has deemed the worst place in the world to be born a women. So since i was lucky enough to survive my birth there, then i feel it is my duty to speak for those who don’t have a voice whether that be based off of race, class or gender. Like the late John Lewis said, don’t be afraid to get into some good trouble. At this time in history , i and my family, which includes my husband and our 2 young children , are in the midst of of fighting a global pandemic and endemic racism. We have also been at the front row to see our ruby red state improbably vote for 2 democratic Senators Ossoff and Warnock. Needless, to say, we have been under an enormous amount of pressure. but we keep on going and we keep smiling. And we are proud to call Georgia home.