August 25, 2000

Robotic surgery to become the norm

"The future of surgery ' and medicine in general ' is not in blood and guts, but in bits and bytes," says University of Cape Town Prof of Cardiothoracic Surgery Ulrich Von Oppell.Von Oppell recently spent seven months at the University of Leipzig which, in his opinion, has one of the most up-to-date robotic theatres in the world. Apart from increasing surgical control and precision, robotic surgery makes possible new surgical procedures which could never be done by the human hand. JO STEIN reports.

Making people count

If the rich consume more health resources than the poor, any efforts to redress the gap between the haves and have-nots must include a commitment to equity and not just equality. Sue Valentine attended a recent international workshop in the North West Province aimed at developing efective equity gauges to measure the gaps in health spending and resource allocation.

Smoking ‘ what the regulations say

The Tobacco Products Control Amendment Act, which comes into effect on October 1st, imposes tight controls on smoking in restaurants, pubs, shebeens, hotels and workplaces, as well as limiting tobacco advertising and the sale of tobacco products.

Robotic surgery to become the norm

Making people count

Smoking ‘ what the regulations say

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Smoking ‘ what the regulations say