Dr John Callaghan turns 100 after seven decades in medicine

Beloved South African Dr John Callaghan turns 100, yet his working day still begins with patients before he heads to the gym, Joburg Etc reports.

According to a LinkedIn post by strategic advisor Dr Nik Eberl, Callaghan celebrated his 100th birthday on 12 August and continues to see patients every morning. Eberl describes him as South Africa’s oldest practising specialist.

Callaghan began studying medicine at the University of the Witwatersrand in the 1940s, during the Second World War. Wits says its medical school admitted black students from 1941, with the institution playing a significant role in expanding access to medical education in South Africa during that era.

Seven decades shaped by medicine

After qualifying, Callaghan spent 14 years as a district doctor in Groot Marico, where he delivered babies, performed emergency surgery and once worked for 14 days without rest because there was no one else available.

He later specialised in ear, nose and throat surgery, focusing on the voice and larynx. Eberl recounts how Callaghan detected cancer on the vocal cord of a 20-year-old student after other doctors had missed it. In another case, he operated on a woman’s larynx nine times before she could speak again.

Her first words to him were: ‘I can now call my children, doctor.’ Callaghan’s own view of his profession remains simple: ‘Money was never the reason why I became a doctor.’

The LinkedIn post also drew personal responses from readers. One commenter recalled visiting Callaghan with her two-year-old son, while another shared stories of relatives who continued working into their later years. Others reflected on the doctor’s sense of purpose and commitment.

For a man who has spent more than 70 years in medicine, reaching 100 has become part of the story. So has continuing to show up.