Dr GA Isaacs

Dr GA Isaacs This page is connected to the physical practice of Dr G A Isaacs in Upington, Northern Cape, South Africa.

"Wherever the art of medicine is loved, there is also a love of humanity". – Hippocrates

19/08/2025

Dr Simon N Spoor wrote:

On DEDULA and POLITICAL COWARDICE — in response to a lost post on the topic and others like it on this forum.

Colleague, you are right to name the unbearable strain that has been placed on us as clinicians in this collapsing system. You are also right to feel torn when faced with the reality of resource shortages, multiple deaths, and the question of how we uphold our oath when the state abandons its duty.

Let us be clear: we do not betray our ethics when we treat the sick, regardless of whether they carry a South African ID or a foreign passport. We betray our ethics if we participate in scapegoating the poor, the migrant, the powerless, and thereby excuse the very politicians who created this disaster.

The state is cynically diverting anger away from its own failures. Operation Dudula, and the poisonous xenophobia it promotes, is not a grassroots “solution.” It is a smokescreen encouraged by a political class that has stolen billions through tenders, looted hospital budgets, and left us with collapsing infrastructure, unemployed doctors, and crumbling services.

The National Health Insurance Bill itself already restricts access for “illegal foreigners” to little more than emergencies and communicable diseases. The ruling elite then turns around and blames migrants for the overcrowding and medicine shortages which are, in truth, the direct product of their corruption, austerity, and mismanagement.

Look at Gauteng today: doctors are being forced to fight for basic commuted overtime pay, compelled to submit rosters and “portfolios of evidence” just to be remunerated for work already done. Contracts are being arbitrarily downgraded.

At the same time, hospitals stand half-staffed while thousands of qualified doctors remain unemployed. These shortages are not accidental—they are policy. The government manufactures scarcity to justify austerity, while funds are siphoned into the pockets of tenderpreneurs.

The question, then, is not whether “South Africa has bitten off more than it can chew.” Our country is immensely rich in resources, skilled workers, and human talent. The question is who has been chewing, and on whose behalf.

The truth is bitter: it is the politicians and their business cronies who have swallowed the wealth meant for the people, and now they ask us to police borders in the ward, to turn the clinic into Home Affairs, to act as enforcers of their cowardice.

As doctors, our ethics are not naïve. They are radical. To heal the sick without fear or favour is the sharpest political act we can commit in a time when the government seeks to divide us. We must stand firm: we treat all in need, we reject xenophobic scapegoating, and we hold the state fully accountable for the shortages, the deaths, the collapse. And more than that, we must organize ourselves as patriotic clinicians of all nationalities—South African and foreign-born alike—to take matters into our own hands.

The politicians have proven themselves unfit to run this health system. It falls to us to defend it, democratize it, and fight for a healthcare system that serves the people, not the corrupt.

If we bow to Operation Dudula, we become accomplices in barbarism. If we stand together against it, we embody the true spirit of medicine: solidarity, humanity, and resistance.

18/08/2025
14/08/2025
Very good video about plantar fasciitis.
12/08/2025

Very good video about plantar fasciitis.

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Futab76x9/
03/08/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/1Futab76x9/

The king cobra’s venom can drop an elephant. But a horse? It just shrugs.

Seriously. One of the deadliest snakes on Earth can inject enough neurotoxin to paralyze a human in minutes. A single bite from a king cobra delivers enough venom to kill 20 people. But when that same snake bites a horse... the horse often barely gets a fever.

No antivenom. No panicking. No dramatic collapse. Just some chills, maybe a nap, and then it walks away like nothing happened.

Scientists have been scratching their heads about this for decades. It turns out horses might have a unique immune response or special nerve receptors that basically ignore the venom. Like their bodies just say, “Nah, we’re good.”

But here’s where it gets even cooler. Because horses can survive cobra bites, we use their blood to make antivenom for humans. Yup. That lifesaving serum doctors inject after a venomous snake bite? It often starts with a horse.

They’re basically out here taking one for the team, getting gently exposed to venom, building up antibodies, and donating their super-blood so we can stay alive.

It’s the ultimate plot twist. You expect the cobra to win. It’s got fangs, venom, speed. But the quiet farm animal with the big eyes and steady breath just stands there and wins with pure biological grace.

Takeaway: Strength isn’t always in the strike. Sometimes it’s in the blood that refuses to give up.

16/06/2025

“Know all the theories, master all the techniques, but as you touch a human soul, just be another human soul.” - Carl Jung

01/05/2025

The Hidden Dangers of Va**ng

Va**ng is often perceived as a safer alternative to smoking; however, it is far from harmless. While e-ci******es contain fewer toxins than traditional ci******es, they still pose significant health risks:

Lung Damage:
Va**ng can cause inflammation, scarring, and serious lung injuries (EVALI).

Heart Risks:
Ni****ne raises blood pressure and heart rate, increasing the risk of heart disease.

Toxic Exposure:
Vapes release harmful chemicals—formaldehyde, acrolein, and heavy metals like lead.

Addiction:
Most e-ci******es contain high levels of ni****ne, which is especially detrimental to young, developing brains.

Gateway Effect:
Teens who v**e are more likely to start smoking traditional ci******es.

Key Point:
Va**ng may be less harmful than smoking in some respects, such as lung cancer—but it is not safe. The long-term consequences are still under investigation, but early signs are troubling.

Protect your health.
Do not trade one danger for another. Refrain from va**ng.

May 2025 be a good year. Filled with good health and peace of mind.
01/01/2025

May 2025 be a good year. Filled with good health and peace of mind.

Watch this space for exciting changes coming in 2025.
29/12/2024

Watch this space for exciting changes coming in 2025.

25/12/2024
19/12/2024

Department of Health parents to vaccinate their children against Rubella (German measles).

Anyone child who is not vaccinated against rubella is at risk of getting the disease. It is important that children are vaccinated against rubella.

Cases in 2024 have exceeded the number of cases identified since 2015. Protect your child! Protect your unborn baby. Visit your nearest clinic today!

SABC News National Institute for Communicable Diseases

Address

15 Weideman Street
Upington
8801

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 18:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 17:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 18:00
Thursday 08:00 - 18:00
Friday 08:00 - 16:00
Saturday 09:00 - 12:00

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