Nelson Mandela University embraced the spirit of this campaign with a heartwarming programme that blended fun with purpose on Friday 6 June. First-year class representatives Ntokozo Kunene and Tshepiso Biyela kicked off the day by giving free funky socks to all first-year students.
Prof Elma de Vries, the MBChB Programme Coordinator, opened the event, and shared the history of the crazy socks for docs event.
“In 2016, Dr. Geoff Toogood—a Melbourne-based cardiologist—came to work one morning wearing odd-coloured socks. Behind his back, colleagues whispered that he was “going crazy” again. In truth, he was simply missing matching pairs—his new puppy had chewed up the rest! Dr. Toogood realized that the harmless act of wearing mismatched socks had unintentionally sparked comments about his mental state.” Said Prof Elma de Vries, the MBChB Programme Coordinator.
“Drawing on his own experiences with depression and anxiety, he decided to turn those whispered remarks into a powerful statement. In June 2017, he launched the first Crazy Socks 4 Docs Day in Victoria, inviting doctors and healthcare workers to wear colourful, mismatched socks to raise awareness of mental health in medicine. What began as a small, local initiative has now grown into an international movement observed every first Friday in June, uniting healthcare professionals around the world to break down stigma and foster open conversations about well-being.” She concluded
South African medical students were also encouraged to enter the #CrazySocks4Docs national competition, organised by the Ithemba Foundation and sponsored by Netcare. This offers a R2 000 cash prize per Medical School for the most popular sock “selfie”. To enter, students need to take photos or selfies of their crazy socks, and post these to Instagram or Facebook by 13 June, tag @IthembaFoundation1, with the name of their university.
