Dr Derran M Govender manages long-term conditions for patients in Durban North. Regular reviews, monitoring and medication adjustments help keep conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes well controlled and your health at its best.
Conditions managed
Dr Govender provides ongoing care for:
- high blood pressure (hypertension)
- type 2 diabetes
- high cholesterol
- asthma and COPD
- hypothyroidism
- gout
- osteoarthritis
- epilepsy
- HIV
What ongoing care involves
Chronic care with Dr Govender includes:
- regular follow-up consultations
- monitoring such as blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol and other blood tests
- reviewing and adjusting medication
- advice on diet, exercise and lifestyle
- referral to a specialist when needed
For information about breathing tests, see spirometry lung function testing. Flu vaccination is also available at the practice.
Chronic medication and medical aid
Dr Govender completes medical aid chronic medication applications so that patients can access their chronic benefits. Once a condition is stable, repeat prescriptions can be done through a telehealth consultation.
What to bring
Please bring:
- your ID
- your medical aid card, if applicable
- your current medicines or a list of them
- any recent test results, specialist letters or a glucose or blood pressure diary
Consultation fees and medical aid
The practice accepts all major medical aids. For consultation fees, contact the practice.
Appointments
The practice is open Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 17:00, and walk-ins are welcome. Book an online or in-person appointment.
Frequently asked questions
What is a normal blood pressure?
- Normal: below 120 over below 80
- Elevated: 120 to 129 on the top number, with the bottom number below 80
- High blood pressure: 130 or above on the top number, or 80 or above on the bottom number
Current guidelines define high blood pressure from 130/80. The risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney damage starts rising well before 140/90, so Dr Govender aims to bring blood pressure into the optimal range, not just below the danger line.
How can I lower my blood pressure?
Most people are magnesium deficient. Reverse osmosis removes most of the magnesium and other minerals from water, so it adds almost nothing to your daily intake. Commercial farming has also left today’s vegetables depleted of minerals. So many people walk around with very low magnesium without knowing it.
How this affects blood pressure. Magnesium isn’t the only cause of high blood pressure, but low magnesium is part of the imbalance behind it, and it’s where the low-salt advice comes from. The body needs magnesium to hold on to potassium. When magnesium is low, potassium is lost, and the balance between potassium and sodium tips towards sodium.
Why cutting salt misses the point. Most people are told to reduce their salt intake, but that doesn’t correct the problem. It’s like mopping the floor while the tap is still running. Cutting salt on its own doesn’t fix the underlying imbalance. The excess sodium is what’s left over when magnesium and potassium are missing.
Magnesium supplementation is essential. For many people, diet alone isn’t enough, which is why Dr Govender treats a magnesium supplement as a core part of managing blood pressure.
Regular exercise, losing excess weight, limiting alcohol, quitting smoking, sleeping well and managing stress all help as well.
Treatment depends on how high your blood pressure is. Mildly raised blood pressure, such as 135/85, can often be brought down with lifestyle changes first. Significantly higher blood pressure needs medication straight away.
Do I need to see a GP to renew my chronic medication?
Yes. Chronic prescriptions need to be renewed regularly, and medical aids require a valid script for chronic benefits. Once your condition is stable, Dr Govender can renew your prescription through a telehealth consultation, so you don’t always need to come in.
References
- Whelton PK et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA Guideline for the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Adults. Hypertension. 2018;71(6):e13–e115. Read source
- Lewington S et al. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet. 2002;360:1903–1913. Read source
- Argeros Z et al. Magnesium Supplementation and Blood Pressure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Hypertension. 2025;82(11):1844–1856. Read source
- Zhang X et al. Effects of Magnesium Supplementation on Blood Pressure: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trials. Hypertension. 2016;68(2):324–333. Read source
- DiNicolantonio JJ, O’Keefe JH, Wilson W. Subclinical magnesium deficiency: a principal driver of cardiovascular disease and a public health crisis. Open Heart. 2018;5:e000668. Read source
- Huang CL, Kuo E. Mechanism of hypokalemia in magnesium deficiency. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2007;18(10):2649–2652. Read source
- Kozisek F. Health risks from drinking demineralised water. In: World Health Organization. Nutrients in Drinking Water. Geneva: WHO; 2005:145–163. Read source
- Davis DR, Epp MD, Riordan HD. Changes in USDA food composition data for 43 garden crops, 1950 to 1999. J Am Coll Nutr. 2004;23:669–682. Read source
- O’Donnell M et al. Urinary sodium and potassium excretion, mortality, and cardiovascular events. N Engl J Med. 2014;371:612–623. Read source