Defence Minister Angie Motshekela officially opened the R625 million base military hospital in Gqeberha. This facility is designed for 30 beds and will serve approximately 9,000 service members, as well as their families and veterans in the Eastern Cape.
The new military hospital in Gqeberha, which was solemnly inaugurated in Forest Hill on Thursday, will provide 24-hour medical services. Services include primary care, emergency care, surgery, diagnostics, dentistry, pharmacy, pediatrics, and rehabilitation.
Motshekela emphasized that this institution is an important step towards realizing the Defence Ministry's principle of 'Soldiers First.' She expressed her honour at having the opportunity to hand over this facility for the service of soldiers, their families, and veterans.
The Minister stated that the health and well-being of the military must reflect the sacrifices they make for the country. According to her, the slogan 'Soldiers First' must become a reality, ensuring that the health and welfare of service members, including the environment, match their status and contribution to the nation.
Furthermore, Motshekela highlighted the necessity of proper maintenance of the hospital and ensuring dignified treatment for patients. She assured that the centre's management is committed to keeping the hospital in good condition and continuing to serve people with honour, respect, and dignity.
Motshekela also noted that the military healthcare system can support communities through partnerships with other government departments. She cited the 'Project Owethu' outreach program, which delivers medical services to rural areas. In the Eastern Cape, military medical teams performed 172 cataract removal operations last year during Armed Forces Day, assisting those who had been unable to see for seven years before receiving help.
Eastern Cape Premier Oscar Mabuyane welcomed the investment and stated that the province aims to strengthen cooperation with the Department of Defence, particularly in healthcare and emergency medical services. Mabuyane noted that closer interaction with the military in the Nelson Mandela Bay area could improve services.
He reported that discussions regarding a memorandum of understanding between the province and the Department of Defence are at an advanced stage. Mabuyane stressed that this concerns not only Gqeberha but the entire Eastern Cape, and that the partnership should extend to other parts of the province where SANDF members are stationed, including Mtatalile and Matatile.
The Premier also expressed a desire to explore opportunities for closer collaboration between military and civilian medical facilities, including the use of designated spaces in public hospitals. He recalled the role of soldiers during the Covid-19 pandemic when they visited communities while others feared.
Mabuyane acknowledged the value of such cooperation between the defence forces and the provincial government, especially during natural disasters, and welcomed the digitalization of services at the new hospital, which aligns with progress in public health. He concluded that 'healthcare and the armed forces must speak louder, and we must facilitate this so that our people are served very well.'
Nelson Mandela Bay Mayor Babalwa Lobishwe called the hospital a major state investment that will benefit military personnel, veterans, and their families. She specified that the facility will serve approximately 9,000 service members and will contribute to local economic development, as people coming to Gqeberha for treatment will spend money in the city.
Volunteers and veterinary specialists joined forces on Mandela Day to provide essential assistance to local animals. Dr. Annari Greilin noted that the problem was not a lack of compassion, but limited access to care.
As a veterinarian and founder of WanderVet Animal Welfare Organisation, Greilin has worked extensively in areas where barriers to veterinary care are common. Her solution was to deliver services directly to the animals and their owners who might otherwise face difficulties seeking help.
In addition to sterilization, the animals received vaccinations and parasite treatment, while veterinary students and young professionals assisted more experienced colleagues as part of volunteer work.
Sterilization is particularly important in communities where unwanted offspring can quickly become a welfare issue for animals. For female dogs, sterilization helps prevent a range of diseases and types of cancer, and it reduces the number of unwanted puppies entering communities where resources and suitable homes may be limited.
However, Greilin views sterilization as part of a broader preventive approach. The outreach visit also provides an opportunity to speak with owners about their pets' health. Although these interventions may seem simple, together they can prevent future illness and suffering.
Therefore, the people behind the animals are just as important as the procedures themselves. Greilin recalls meeting owners who were deeply attached to their pets and grateful for the chance to receive treatment. This experience refuted the assumption that a lack of veterinary care necessarily indicates a lack of care.
The outreach event proved especially significant for the participating veterinary students and young veterinarians. Greilin hopes that such events remind them of the reasons they chose this profession. For veterinary professionals, the goal can sometimes be overshadowed by the pressures of daily practice. Outreach work creates a space to step outside the consultation room and see the broader role that veterinary medicine can play in society.
Yet, none of this happens in isolation. Dr. Annari Greilin and her team delivered veterinary care directly into the community, providing necessary treatment to 42 animals.
Greilin emphasizes that animal welfare requires the participation of various people and organizations, each contributing in its own way. Veterinarians provide clinical expertise, animal welfare organizations understand the communities they serve, volunteers donate their time, and partners provide resources such as equipment, medication, transport, and funding.
For Dotsure, supporting initiatives that improve animal welfare and help pet owners access necessary resources reflects a commitment that goes beyond pet insurance. Ultimately, responsible pet ownership begins with the ability to make responsible choices. By bringing veterinary services closer to communities, such initiatives can help make these choices more attainable, one pet and one family at a time.
Taxi and ambulance drivers in the US demonstrated the lowest risk of death from Alzheimer's disease among 443 professions analyzed in a 2024 study. This fact attracted attention because these specialists spend most of their work on orientation, route calculation, and updating mental maps.
According to Hatim Sharif, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Texas in San Antonio, the results suggest that constant efforts to interpret space may stimulate brain areas related to memory and navigation. Researchers studied nearly 9 million death certificates registered in the US from January 2020 to December 2022.
After accounting for age, gender, ethnicity, and education level, a difference was identified: approximately 1 in every 100 taxi and ambulance drivers died from Alzheimer's disease, compared to 1 in every 60 people in the overall analyzed group. A similar advantage was not observed in other drivers.
A possible explanation lies in the type of activity performed. Taxis and ambulances require real-time navigational decision-making, whereas other professions follow fixed or predetermined routes. The hippocampus is central to this discussion, as this area is involved in memory and spatial orientation and is one of the first areas affected by Alzheimer's disease. Difficulty finding paths can arise even before obvious memory problems appear.
Sharif noted that he has worked with digital maps and geographic information systems for over two decades. He previously hypothesized that spatial thinking across map layers was purely professional. An earlier 2000 study already found similar signs. Scientists compared the brains of licensed London taxi drivers with the brains of people who did not drive taxis.
To get a license, one had to memorize more than 25,000 streets within a 10-kilometer radius of Charing Cross. This challenge, known as 'The Knowledge,' took an average of three to four years. Taxi drivers showed more gray matter in the posterior hippocampus. A link with experience was also found: the longer a person drove in the city, the larger this brain area was. The change was linked to practice, not innate characteristics.
This issue is also interesting to cartographers, urban planners, and geospatial analysts. When working with GIS, these specialists correlate different data layers, coordinates, and scales to understand the relationships between places. Among such activities is navigation within the environment, unlike a GIS specialist who observes space through a map. It is not yet clear whether these two experiences activate the same brain circuits.
A 2023 study analyzed over 22,500 people and was able to predict with 84% accuracy which postal codes have a higher incidence of Alzheimer's disease by using environmental complexity. Areas with dense street construction, many intersections, landmarks, and numerous route options were associated with a lower probability of developing the disease.
The idea is also related to the concept of cognitive reserve, which refers to the brain's ability to continue functioning despite changes caused by the disease. Spatial thinking can be trained, and opportunities for such learning are widespread. According to Hatim Sharif, geography, engineering, public health, and ecology courses already use GIS and remote sensing. However, it remains unknown whether this exercise can truly strengthen the brain circuits that are first affected by Alzheimer's disease.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), support is provided for individuals who decide to donate organs or wish to do so, as donation saves lives and helps patients in need of vital treatment. This support is regulated by Ministerial Decision No. 91 of 2026.
The scope of support covers living donors, individuals who have expressed a wish to donate after death, as well as relatives of deceased donors.
Living donors can expect medical and insurance coverage for all procedures, examinations, and tests related to donation. This includes hospitalization, accommodation, and all necessary medical services within the transplantation process.
The support is not limited to the operation; donors also have the right to continuous medical monitoring to track their health and recovery. Furthermore, the system provides accommodation near the hospital for donors or accompanying patients, and may cover travel and transportation costs associated with the donation process.
During the recovery period, the donor may receive assistance, including support related to time off work, and home care services can be provided if necessary.
Families of deceased donors receive psychological and social support. They may also receive official recognition for their family member's contribution in the form of certificates, medals, and letters of appreciation. Additionally, the humanitarian stories of donors can be documented as part of efforts to recognize their merits.
The decision prioritizes eligible donors and certain relatives if they subsequently require an organ or tissue transplant. However, this does not guarantee automatic organ allocation; priority is determined by health status and assessment by the National Center for Regulation of Organ and Human Tissue Donation and relevant health authorities.
Groups eligible for support include living donors and their relatives up to the fourth degree of kinship, as well as individuals who have expressed a wish to donate or left a donation will, along with certain relatives. The framework also extends to relatives of deceased donors.
Before donation, living donors undergo a series of medical checks, which include a review of medical history, assessment of physical and mental condition, blood tests, compatibility testing, and medical imaging. They also undergo consultations and preparation before the procedure. Post-operation care may include medication, nutritional support, psychological help, and continuous monitoring.
The Ministry of Health and Prevention stated that this system aims to protect donors and recognize the role they and their families play in saving lives. These measures are also intended to integrate donor care throughout the entire transplantation process—from initial medical evaluation to long-term follow-up.
