October 08
South Africa: How Will NHI Unfold? Here Are Three Possible Scenarios
As health department officials move to set up National Health Insurance's basic structures, including its board, several experts say the scheme remains a pipe-dream, doomed to the… Read more »
September 23
South Africa: High-Stakes Head of Health Post in Northern Cape Trapped in a Merry-Go-Round
The Northern Cape health department has had several heads of department in the last five years. Spotlight unpacks the implications of this leadership instability and asks what it… Read more »
August 01
South Africa: Behind the Life Esidimeni Headlines Is the Suffering of Human Beings Who Deserved Better
While we focus here on the nine deaths that Judge Mmonoa Teffo found to be unnatural, there were 144 deaths associated with the Life Esidimeni tragedy. Ultimately, these were human… Read more »
July 31
South Africa: Face to Face - Healthcare Veteran Kgosi Letlape On Leaving the ANC, Serving in Parliament, and the Tragic Loss of His Daughter
Former ANC member, now with ActionSA, Dr Kgosi Letlape was recently elected to parliament's health committee. Biénne Huisman spoke to the past president of the Health… Read more »
July 26
South Africa: Childhood Vaccine Coverage in South Africa Declined in 2023 - WHO Report
New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF show that globally childhood immunisation coverage stalled in 2023, while in South Africa it decreased. Elri Voigt… Read more »
July 08
South Africa: Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko's Comeback As Gauteng MEC for Health Sparks Mixed Reactions
ANC support in Gauteng dipped below 40% in the recent provincial elections and an ANC-led minority government is now at the helm. Among those in Premier Panyaza Lesufi's new… Read more »
June 26
South Africa: From Union Leader to MEC - Free State's New Health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi Makes Big Promises
A trade unionist who spent years fighting for the rights of workers, the Free State's new health MEC Monyatso Mahlatsi now finds himself on the other side of the table where he… Read more »
June 10
South Africa: The Health Minister South Africa Needs - Astute Politician, Inspired Leader, Humble and Fair
By month end, South Africa will have a new Minister of Health. Ufrieda Ho asked some academics and activists what qualities that person should have to tackle the key health issues… Read more »
June 07
South Africa: Open Letter | Minister of Health Joe Phaahla, Make TB a Political Priority
In this open letter to Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla, TB activists call for the disease to be made a political priority and demand multisectoral departmental accountability.… Read more »
May 27
South Africa: #vote4health | Opposition Parties Promise to Resolve Healthcare Understaffing. Do They Have the Right Solutions?
Several political parties have pledged to plug shortages of healthcare staff at government hospitals and clinics by training more health workers. They're right to be concerned with… Read more »
May 20
South Africa: Several Political Parties Dodge Questions On How They Plan to Improve Health in Gauteng
What is at stake in South Africa's upcoming provincial elections when it comes to healthcare? Ufrieda Ho put questions to five political parties about their plans to get Gauteng… Read more »
May 14
South Africa: #vote4health | What 10 Political Parties Have to Say On Spotlight's Top 7 Health Questions
Healthcare is an issue that at some point touches everyone in South Africa. It is also an issue that will impact who people vote for on the 29th of May. To help voters understand… Read more »
May 03
South Africa: Three Health Reforms the New South African Government Must Prioritise
To drum up support as South Africans head to the polls, President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly vowed to "end the apartheid that remains in healthcare" when he hit the campaign trail.… Read more »
April 09
South Africa: Health Services in the Eastern Cape - What Changed Since the Last Elections?
In this analysis, Luvuyo Mehlwana looks back at the performance of public healthcare services in the Eastern Cape over the last five years - a term characterised by leadership… Read more »
February 08
South Africa: Patient-Centred Health Care - the NHI Revolution You Deserve
A patient-centred health system will remain an illusion under the NHI unless the public health system is ramped up to better serve users and a clear path is outlined for… Read more »
January 24
South Africa: With Elections and NHI, This Is a Big Year for Healthcare in SA
South Africa is barrelling towards its most consequential and most competitive national and provincial elections since 1994, expected to take place in May. That the ANC's share of… Read more »
January 15
South Africa: This Is How SA Can Meet Its HIV Targets
"The path to ending AIDS is clear," states a recent UNAIDS report. "HIV responses succeed when they are anchored in strong political leadership, have adequate resources, follow the… Read more »
December 06, 2023
South Africa: Analysis - SA Close to Meeting TB Research Funding Targets, but Most Countries Falling Short
South Africa is one of only six countries to ever meet its "fair share target" for funding tuberculosis (TB) research, according to a Treatment Action Group (TAG) report published… Read more »
November 29, 2023
South Africa: Amid Budget Constraints, Tough Choices for SA's HIV Response
Around 13% of South Africa's population are living with HIV and the country has the world's largest HIV treatment programme. The country's finances are however under huge pressure… Read more »
December 01, 2023
South Africa: SA Can't Afford Proposed Cuts to HIV Funding
In November this year, National Treasury proposed a R1 billion cut to HIV funding. This has come about because - rather than seeing the reduced price of antiretroviral treatment as… Read more »
November 23, 2023
South Africa: Funding Shortfall and Poor Roads to Blame for Ambulance Woes, Says Eastern Cape Health Dept
A recent labour dispute involving emergency medical service (EMS) workers in the Eastern Cape has once again placed the spotlight on the province's chronic EMS problems. Read more »
November 15, 2023
South Africa: Questions Asked As Gauteng Health Sources Food From Limpopo
The Gauteng Department of Health has struggled this year to ensure that patients in the province's hospitals always have the food they need. In addition to several reports received… Read more »
November 08, 2023
South Africa: Surgery Backlog in Northern Cape Getting Worse
Already long surgical waiting lists in the Northern Cape appear to have ballooned in recent months. In May, the province's MEC for Health Maruping Lekwene told the province's… Read more »
October 31, 2023
South Africa: What Government Is Doing to Reduce Medicines Stockouts
Over the last decade, the National Health Department has rolled out a range of electronic surveillance systems to monitor medicine stocks throughout the country's healthcare… Read more »
October 27, 2023
South Africa: More Austerity Is the Wrong Medicine for Our Public Health Crisis
In the context of weak economic growth, lower-than-expected tax revenues, and the implementation of measures to reduce public spending, there is "rising panic" ahead of this year's… Read more »