International visit helps occupational lung doctors think ‘outside the continent’ | News
Written by Black Hot Fire Network on May 16, 2023
Dr. Vanessa Govender and Dr. Carl Werntz might live an ocean apart, but the physicians care for a common population: miners.
As occupational medicine specialists, Govender, of Johannesburg, South Africa, and Werntz, of Morgantown, evaluate miners to determine if they’re eligible for benefits for pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease.
Earlier this week, Govender visited Werntz as he saw patients at the Black Lung Clinic at Cabin Creek Health Systems, in Dawes.
“The disease is the same everywhere,” Werntz said, “but the way that it’s managed, compensated and cared for varies quite . . .
