Spotlight NSP

09/09/2026

UNPAID AND UNPROTECTED | For years, hospitals have relied on the unpaid, unprotected labour of trainee-specialists to fill their rosters, but these doctors are reaching a breaking point.

For years, hospitals have relied on the unpaid, unprotected labour of trainee-specialists to fill their rosters, but these doctors are reaching a breaking point. Joan van Dyk reports.

07/09/2026

RURAL HEALTH HERO | As a young doctor working in rural KwaZulu-Natal, Hennie Hamilton lived with a Zulu family for four years, an experience which, he says, changed him forever.

As a young doctor working in rural KwaZulu-Natal, Hennie Hamilton lived with a Zulu family for four years, an experience which, he says, changed him forever. Twenty-three years later, he’s still working in the area as medical manager at Mosvold Hospital and doing cataract surgery on patients from ...

04/09/2026

POWERFUL ANTIBODIES | Researchers first identified bNAbs in a person living with HIV in the 1990s. Since then, they have discovered many more bNAbs.

We give you the rundown on what researchers are exploring now:

HIV is known for its ability to outsmart our immune system's normal defences. A small number of people living with HIV are however able to generate more effective immune responses to HIV. In this special briefing, Catherine Tomlinson zooms in on broadly neutralising antibodies, the secret sauce in t...

04/09/2026

ICYMI | To Professor Salim Abdool Karim, excellence should be the only standard. In science, he says he is inspired by imaginative thinking such as that of American comic publisher Stan Lee, co-creator of Spider-Man.

Read our feature: https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/06/24/from-spider-man-to-mandela-the-many-influences-in-professor-salim-abdool-karims-remarkable-scientific-career/

03/09/2026

WOMEN IN HEALTH | Forensic nursing, while important, remains a largely overlooked specialisation, with little incentive for remuneration. Yet, one nurse tells Spotlight every flicker of hope a patient carries home is a reminder of why she chose this path.

In a country like South Africa which grapples with a high prevalence of gender-based violence, forensic nursing unfortunately remains a largely overlooked specialisation, with little incentive for remuneration. One nurse tells Elna Schütz every flicker of hope a patient carries home is a reminder o...

02/09/2026

ICYMI | Have a look at our special briefing detailing the vaccines currently being used in South Africa.

Which vaccines are in use in South Africa and how does our vaccination schedule measure up to international standards? In this special briefing, Catherine Tomlinson unpacks the recent history and details the vaccines currently being used in the country.

01/09/2026

LEN IN THE WESTERN CAPE | From counselling about small nodules to overcoming people’s fears of needles, Spotlight takes the pulse of a new HIV prevention injection’s rollout in the Western Cape.

https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/09/01/with-over-3-600-western-cape-users-lenacapavir-is-cool/
Biénne Huisman

From counselling about small nodules to overcoming people’s fears of needles, Biénne Huisman takes the pulse of a new HIV prevention injection’s rollout in the Western Cape.

31/08/2026

PMB LIMBO? Reforming prescribed minimum benefits is about creating the flexibility to expand access, strengthen prevention and make medical scheme cover affordable for more people in South Africa, writes Managing Director of the Board of Healthcare Funders Dr Katlego Mothudi.

With plans in motion to roll out universal health coverage in South Africa, Dr Katlego Mothudi, of the Board of Healthcare Funders, argues that revising the compulsory prescribed minimum benefits that medical schemes must provide can be a tool to deliver meaningful improvements today while laying th...

28/08/2026

TIME WILL TELL | Scientists are hard at work looking for new ways to prevent and treat HIV. One area of research that is generating substantial interest is broadly neutralising antibodies.

Find out more: https://tinyurl.com/mrx8ueuh

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27/08/2026

TB VACCINE | A pivotal clinical trial could pave the way for the first new tuberculosis vaccine in more than a century. As we await the results, Russell Rensburg argues that it’s time to start preparing for the broader realities of rolling out the vaccine.

https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2026/08/28/sa-is-one-step-closer-to-a-new-tb-vaccine-but-there-is-a-lot-of-work-ahead/