Dr. Nthabiseng Letsie

Dr. Nthabiseng Letsie is an internal medicine specialist at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital (QE2) in Maseru — Lesotho's longstanding government referral hospital that operates alongside Queen Mamohato Memorial Hospital to serve the country's capital. With 12 years of specialist experience, Dr. Letsie manages complex medical inpatients whose conditions often involve the intersection of HIV infection, tuberculosis, and non-communicable diseases — a pattern that is particularly common in Lesotho and demands integrated clinical expertise. She leads internal medicine ward rounds at QE2, supervising junior doctors and clinical officers in the management of complicated pneumonias, diabetic emergencies, advanced heart failure, and opportunistic infections including cryptococcal meningitis and Pneumocystis pneumonia. Dr. Letsie is one of a small cadre of internally trained specialist physicians in Lesotho, and she takes her teaching role seriously, recognising that building local specialist capacity is essential for the country's long-term healthcare development. She is also an advocate for improving chronic disease management systems in Lesotho, having worked with the Ministry of Health on developing standardised outpatient protocols for hypertension and diabetes that are feasible in district hospital settings.

Dr. Letsie completed her MBChB at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, South Africa. She subsequently pursued specialist training in internal medicine at the University of Pretoria's Steve Biko Academic Hospital, one of southern Africa's foremost academic hospitals for internal medicine training, where she earned her MMed (Internal Medicine). She obtained her Certificate in HIV Medicine through the Southern African HIV Clinicians Society. She has participated in continuing medical education through the College of Physicians of South Africa and attends the Lesotho Medical Association's annual scientific conference.

Dr. Letsie's internal medicine expertise centres on the complex medical presentations that dominate Lesotho's inpatient wards. She is highly skilled in managing HIV-associated conditions including cryptococcal meningitis — using lumbar puncture for diagnosis and intracranial pressure management — Pneumocystis pneumonia, and immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome. She manages respiratory emergencies including complicated pneumonia and pleural effusions, performing pleural taps and intercostal drain insertions when needed. In non-communicable disease, she handles diabetic ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar hyperglycaemic state, hypertensive crises, and acute heart failure. She is also experienced in managing chronic kidney disease and performing anaemia workups including bone marrow aspiration.

Dr. Letsie contributed to a cross-sectional study on in-hospital mortality from non-communicable diseases at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, the findings of which informed Lesotho's updated hospital treatment protocols. She has participated in SAHCS case report submissions and contributed clinical data to the Lesotho Ministry of Health's HIV programme annual review. She presented at the 2023 Lesotho Medical Association conference on the management of cryptococcal meningitis in antiretroviral-naive patients.

Dr. Letsie consults in English and Sesotho and is experienced in supporting international visitors and foreign nationals in Lesotho — including South African patients who cross the border for healthcare, humanitarian workers, and NGO staff. She provides detailed inpatient and outpatient consultation reports for patients transferring to South Africa for specialist investigations such as advanced imaging, cardiac catheterisation, or oncology workup that are not available within Lesotho. She is familiar with the cross-border referral process between Lesotho and South Africa.

Dr. Letsie was recognised by the Lesotho Ministry of Health for her contribution to building internal medicine training capacity and for her consistent clinical excellence at Queen Elizabeth II Hospital. She received an award from the Lesotho Medical Association for outstanding service and was selected to represent Lesotho at the Southern African Federation of Internal Medicine's biennial congress.