Becoming the successful gynaecologist and obstetrician that he is today, did not happen easily.
“What people call problems, we look upon as challenges which give us an adrenaline rush,” says Dr Tigere. “We” refers to him and his spouse.
“Caroline and I are very supportive of each other,” he says and there she is, supporting him right through the interview. Caroline also supports her husband daily in his practice, which has recently moved to Grobler Street.
Dr Tigere comes from a very poor family in Zimbabwe.
“My father was a visionary, although he never attended school. He encouraged us to get an education.”
At four in the morning, the children would get up and start working in the vegetable garden. By selling veggies, the young Patrick paid his own school fees and stationery and even had pocket money.
“I studied very hard, using a paraffin lamp as lighting. We also teach our children that good school results will make you marketable.”
The determined Patrick had good results, and from high school he obtained scholarships, which helped him finish his high school career in the United Kingdom.
After school, Dr Tigere left for Greece to study engineering, which was his passion. After a full year of studying the Greek language, he was presented with the option of becoming a Telecommunications Engineer to repair telephones. When he realized that that was not exactly what he had in mind, he had but a few seconds to decide on an alternative. He filled in “doctor” on the form.
“So that’s how I ended up becoming a doctor,” Dr Tigere laughs.
Six very tough years followed while he studied medicine in Greece and simultaneously held part-time jobs, often as a gardener. To explain just how tough it was, Dr Tigere gave some statistics. They started out as 12 Zimbabwean medical students. After one year, six opted to return to Zimbabwe. Of the other six, two developed psychological problems and had to go back. Only four graduated.
Dr Tigere qualified as doctor in March 1989. He still worked as a gardener for nine more months to raise money.
“People would scorn me for working in a garden, but it didn’t bother me.”
Dr Tigere did his internship in Zimbabwe. Thereafter, he went to the University of Natal to specialize, first in anaesthetics and then he switched over to gynaecology and obstetrics. He says that he is enjoying this specialized field.
In June 2003, the Tigere family moved to Louis Trichardt.
“One of the most beautiful things we have experienced is the way this town has welcomed us,” says Caroline.
“We get a lot of support from coloured people, whites, blacks, Indians, everyone. The children have also blended in very well.”
Of their four children two are schooling in town and two are at tertiary level, one studying actuarial science at UCT and the other does medicine at Wits.
“I tried in vain to discourage her, because a doctor has no social life,” laughs Dr Tigere. The Tigeres also sponsor a couple of students from the community to enable them to study at university.