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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · 8h

groundup.org.za/article/phar... And now on appeal, with costs. These court cases have set our HIV response back by years.

Pharmacists can treat people with HIV, appeal court rules

“Legitimate and compelling public interests” to allow pharmacists to initiate antiretroviral treatment, says judge

groundup.org.za

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · 6d

"South African women do not need more pink balloons or hashtags. They need functioning diagnostic clinics, staffed and equipped laboratories and radiology services, adequate theatre slates, more chemotherapy chairs..., research that is based on our unique population and well-trained oncology teams."

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · 6d

www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/... Pinkwashing and hollow solidarity

Beyond the pink ribbon: Breast cancer and the battlefield of a woman’s body

If breast cancer teaches us anything, it is that our bodies cannot wait for political promises. South African women deserve more than pink campaigns that do not translate into measurable change.

www.dailymaverick.co.za

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · 11d

groundup.org.za/article/stud...

Study shows how we can massively improve hypertension treatment

Rather than spend hours at a clinic, patients measured their own blood pressure

groundup.org.za

AVAC @avac.org · 13d

ICYMI last night #SCOTUS ruled in AVAC's legal case to give the Administration a free pass to withhold #foreignaid. A dissenting judge warned that the stakes in this case are too significant to be decided through the Court’s emergency docket.

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Public Citizen @publiccitizen.bsky.social · 16d

Please, we are begging you, listen to REAL doctors and scientists.

And in case anyone needs a reminder: neither Donald Trump or RFK Jr. are doctors.

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · 19d

www.who.int/news/item/26... "The era of governments subsidizing the profits of private industries by footing the long-term health care costs of cheap tobacco, alcohol and sugary drinks must end."

More ways, to save more lives, for less money: World Health Assembly adopts more Best Buys to tackle noncommunicable diseases

The World Health Organization has expanded the list of ‘NCD best buys’. The updated list was approved at the 76th World Health Assembly, a move that will support governments to select lifesaving inter...

www.who.int

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · 19d

www.spotlightnsp.co.za/2025/09/19/e... "Whichever way you slice it, the harsh truth is that even in 2025, the devastating crisis in Gauteng’s health system shows no sign of improvement. Corruption still plagues the department just as severely as it did a decade ago, if not more so."

EDITORIAL | The rot runs deep: Gauteng Health’s dance of impunity betrays the people it is meant to serve

The courts have spoken. The health ombud has issued devastating reports. The Auditor-General has again put damning evidence on the table. Civil society has protested. Yet, the devastating crisis in Ga...

www.spotlightnsp.co.za

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · 20d

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/o...

Opinion | Trump’s Most Lethal Policy

www.nytimes.com

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · 29d

health-e.org.za/2025/09/10/c...

Calls For South Africa To Build Sustainable HIV Programmes, Reduce Reliance On Donors

To build sustainable HIV programmes in south africa, we must focus on innovative approaches rather than seeking more funding from donors.

health-e.org.za

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Sep 8

www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025... Brilliant article. Especially about those armchair right wingers and empty statements from government.

SA’s new emergency: Accountability is becoming a death sentence

We cannot afford to look away from the assassination of lawyer Bouwer van Niekerk – the latest in what appears to be an escalation of threats and attacks against lawyers, investigators, auditors, whis...

www.dailymaverick.co.za

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Sep 4

phr.org/our-work/res...

On the Brink of Catastrophe: U.S. Foreign Aid Disruption to HIV Services in Tanzania and Uganda - PHR

U.S. cuts to global aid have caused backsliding on decades of progress in HIV care, treatment, and prevention.

phr.org

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Aug 28

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Malawi set to run out of TB drugs in a month after US, UK and others cut aid

Gains in cutting deaths from tuberculosis at risk as health officials warn clinics forced to ration drugs and testing

www.theguardian.com

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Aug 27

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Botswana’s president declares health emergency over supply shortages

Duma Boko announces urgent funding package for medicines to be distributed with military oversight

www.theguardian.com

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Aug 26

A second government health system collapses on our border - and I am pretty sure two others are too - but crisis, what crisis?

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Aug 26

blogs.jwatch.org/hiv-id-obser... This. THIS!

Does the Fact That AI Is Brilliant at Writing “Learning Objectives” Prove They're Not Really Needed?

Recently, I was invited to speak at a primary care conference on a terrific topic: “Can’t Miss Diagnoses in ID for the PCP.” Love it. So many great examples come to mind — endocarditis, Lemierre syndr...

blogs.jwatch.org

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Aug 21

www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025... Fascinating history.

Why we should not forget the yellow fever story

A primary driver of the monumental endeavour to develop the yellow fever vaccine was a shared sense of responsibility that America, having the means and knowledge, should use its resources for the goo...

www.dailymaverick.co.za

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Aug 20

bhekisisa.org/article/prof... 👏

At 16, he mediated a highjacking. Now he’s negotiating for the survival of HIV programmes - Bhekisisa

Ndiviwe Mphothulo started in politics at the age of 12 in Soweto, where he was born with activism in his bloodline. Now, a medical doctor and the president of the Southern African HIV Clinicians Socie...

bhekisisa.org

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Aug 13

journals.lww.com/aidsonline/f...

The cost of the plunge: the impact and cost of a cessation... : AIDS

cal impact of ceasing provision of services currently supported by PEPFAR and the costs and cost-effectiveness to the South African government (SAG) of potentially taking over these services. Methods...

journals.lww.com

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GroundUp News @groundup.org.za · Aug 8

For more than 27 years, raw sewage has been flowing into the Kruger National Park from Phalaborwa. Sewers and pump stations in Phalaborwa are barely working, despite having been refurbished.

Read groundup.org.za/article/sten... by Bernard Chiguvare

Auditor-General investigates sewage flowing into Kruger National Park

But a separate investigation by the Blue Scorpions appears to have stalled

groundup.org.za

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Aug 8

amabhungane.org/amabhungane-... The contempt our politicians in parliament have for their oversight responsibilities

AmaBhungane bids to challenge the Public Procurement Act

amabhungane.org

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jul 29

www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/... This

When xenophobia rears its ugly head it’s time to ask the right questions

Foreign nationals didn’t fail to maintain your community’s water infrastructure. They didn’t loot public funds meant for housing and healthcare. They didn’t shut down your clinic or redirect its budge...

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jul 12

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Building a resistance to US assaults on public health

The administration of US President Donald Trump has launched a full-fledged assault on science and public health;1 its “flood the zone” strategy created chaos and initially overwhelmed potential oppos...

www.thelancet.com

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jul 10

www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025...

A year after inquest ruling, NPA yet to pursue Life Esidimeni case prosecutions

The Life Esidimeni tragedy, which saw 144 mental healthcare users lose their lives and more than 1,400 others exposed to severe violations of their human rights, has been described as one of the worst...

www.dailymaverick.co.za

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jul 7

www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025... "But neither Dada Morero nor his MMC for infrastructure, Jack Sekwaila, were anywhere to be seen; nor was the city’s bomb squad appointed to deal with service delivery crises. Not even President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Swat team for Joburg..."

Hundreds of thousands in Joburg go without water — mayor AWOL

In the radio silence from authorities, Johannesburg’s active citizens stepped into the crisis. WhatsApp groups with reach across all communities pinned locations and shared information on where to fin...

www.dailymaverick.co.za

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jul 6

www.theguardian.com/sport/2022/j...

Inside the secret world of tennis umpires: ‘You can’t be the player’s friend’

The long read: New technology was supposed to make umpiring easy. It hasn’t worked out that way

www.theguardian.com

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jul 1

www.thelancet.com/journals/lan... 14 million people. Stop calling the politicians making the cuts 'unserious' people.

Evaluating the impact of two decades of USAID interventions and projecting the effects of defunding on mortality up to 2030: a retrospective impact evaluation and forecasting analysis

USAID funding has significantly contributed to the reduction in adult and child mortality across low-income and middle-income countries over the past two decades. Our estimates show that, unless the a...

www.thelancet.com

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Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jul 1

www.dailymaverick.co.za/opinionista/... "Today, the Eastern Cape’s vast road network shows this; meticulously repaired in middle-class suburbs, but deeply broken in Black townships, and virtually invisible in remote villages." We really need a new government.

What the state of Eastern Cape roads says about who matters

My plans to present research in Europe were interrupted when Qatar shut its airspace. The irony was sharp. My research argues that poor infrastructure – like roads full of potholes or bus routes that ...

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jun 27

www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025... But we're building more medical schools. Who needs strategy when we have blind hope?

Frustrated Free State doctors face unemployment after Cuban medical training in systemic crisis

A cohort of young doctors whose training was funded by the Free State government through the Nelson Mandela-Fidel Castro Bursary programme have been unable to find work in the public health sector upo...

www.dailymaverick.co.za

Francois Venter @francoisventer.bsky.social · Jun 27

www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025... But we're building more medical schools. Who needs strategy when we have blind hope?

Frustrated Free State doctors face unemployment after Cuban medical training in systemic crisis

A cohort of young doctors whose training was funded by the Free State government through the Nelson Mandela-Fidel Castro Bursary programme have been unable to find work in the public health sector upo...

www.dailymaverick.co.za