Rene Sparks

Jun 27, 2024 | spotlightnsp.co.za | Rene Sparks |René Sparks |Luvuyo Mehlwana |Biénne Huisman |Russell Rensburg

Dr Tim Forgan at the surgeon's console of the da Vinci robotic system. (Photo: Biénne Huisman/Spotlight) News & Features27th June 2024 | Biénne Huisman Within South Africa’s beleaguered public health sector – unsettled by budget cuts, understaffing, and divisive NHI legislation – cutting edge surgical robots that have been used to perform more than 600 surgeries at two Cape Town public hospitals are beacons of excellence that offer a glimmer of hope.

Jun 5, 2024 | spotlightnsp.co.za | Thabo Molelekwa |Rene Sparks |René Sparks |Amy Green |Sue Segar

Zithulele Hospital in Mqanduli, a rural part of OR Tambo District in the Eastern Cape, is a 146-bed public health facility that serves about 130 000 people. (Photo: Black Star/Spotlight News & Features5th June 2024 | Sue Segar A senior doctor who have worked at Zithulele Hospital in the Eastern Cape for close to a decade has been instructed to report to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha. Some Zithulele hospital staff and community members protested the move.

Apr 4, 2024 | spotlightnsp.co.za | Elri Voigt |Tiyese Jeranji |Rene Sparks |René Sparks |Marcus Low

South Africa’s HIV testing programme has been a huge success over the last decade, largely due to the use of rapid tests. (File photo: Unicef) News & Features4th April 2024 | Marcus Low Despite South Africa’s impressive HIV testing figures, a subset of people start taking antiretroviral therapy far later than is ideal for their health, shows new data from the leading mathematical model of HIV in the country.

Aug 22, 2023 | spotlightnsp.co.za | Adele Baleta |Marcus Low |Elna Schutz |Elna Schütz |Rene Sparks |René Sparks

In an attempt to propel African voices and perspectives in the next phase of the HIV response, a group of Africans established an African-led HIV control working group (HCWG). Comment & Analysis22nd August 2023 | Yogan Pillay and Izukanji Sikazwe The response to the HIV epidemic is more than 40 years old.

Jul 26, 2023 | spotlightnsp.co.za | Elri Voigt |Rene Sparks |René Sparks |Kathryn Cleary |Alicestine October

News & Features26th July 2023 | Elri Voigt HIV increases a person’s risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), but there are unanswered questions on how to best manage this elevated risk. One such question is whether using a class of cholesterol-lowering medications called statins could reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events- MACE for short- in people living with HIV who have a low-to-moderate risk of CVD.