As the holiday season kicks off, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the festive spirit and overlook potential medical emergencies. Dr Neville Vlok, a specialist emergency medicine physician practising in the emergency department at Netcare Unitas Hospital, highlights four health issues that could disrupt even the most carefully planned holiday celebrations.

Clinical oncologists Dr Sylvia Rodrigues and Dr Karen Motilall have been prescribing radiation treatments for their cancer patients requiring this treatment modality, with the Varian TrueBeam™ 4.0 linear accelerator (linac), for the past year and have seen the equipment’s versatility and advantages for patients.

Internationally renowned South African laparoscopic surgeon Professor Heine van der Walt was recently selected to demonstrate his minimally invasive surgical techniques for two highly complex procedures at the Global Digestive System Congress held in Rome, Italy.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men. In South Africa, it accounts for 13% of male deaths, with over 4,000 diagnoses annually.

A dedicated cardiac ward equipped with state of the art technology is contributing to the expansion of private specialised cardiac care services in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands at Netcare St Anne’s Hospital.