South Africa: Mandatory Health Insurance for South Africa Is an 'Upgrade' On NHI, Proponents Say

The idea of mandatory medical scheme coverage for employed people has made a comeback after the case for it was made at a recent conference. The policy move was previously on the… Read more »

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 »

Africa: SA Has the Third Highest Suicide Rate in Africa - There Are Steps We Can Take to Tackle It

South Africa has the third highest suicide rate in Africa and Africa has higher rates of suicide than any other continent. In the wake of World Suicide Prevention Day on September… Read more »

South Africa: How to Save More Mothers From Dying During Childbirth

COVID-19 temporarily reversed South Africa's hard-won reduction in maternal mortality, but the death rate has now stabilised, and hopes are high that the downward trend will… Read more »

South Africa: Glenda Gray's Fierce Fight for Science, the Covid-19 Ruckus, and the Bathroom Row About HIV Drugs

After a decade at the helm of the country's primary health research funder, Professor Glenda Gray will focus again on doing the science. She tells Spotlight's Biénne Huisman… Read more »

South Africa: Living With a Cleft - 'I Smile, but Without Showing Teeth'

The ongoing psychological, functional, and aesthetic challenges experienced by people with cleft lip and palate underscore the need for an individualized, lifelong, and… Read more »

South Africa: What Can South Africa Do to Prepare for Snake Antivenom Shortages?

Some researchers argue that South Africa should look into using "expired" doses of antivenom if the country once again struggles to make enough of the treatment - something which… Read more »

South Africa: No Silver Bullet for Bridging SA's Healthcare Divide, Say Delegates At Hospital Conference

With South Africa's healthcare system facing a myriad challenges, experts at a health conference have put forward a range of practical solutions to address some of the country's… Read more »

Congo-Kinshasa: SA's HIV Burden a Concern As New Mpox Strain Spreads in DRC - but Much Still Unknown

The African Centre for Disease Control and World Health Organization have raised the alarm following a drastic uptick in mpox cases. This surge is being driven by a new strain of… Read more »

South Africa: #inthespotlight | Beyond the Hype, What Might AI Actually Mean for Healthcare in South Africa?

With varying degrees of success, artificial intelligence has begun to play the role of research assistant, radiologist, health educator, and even therapist. In this Spotlight… Read more »

South Africa: Competition Law Has Again Worked to Fight a Bad Drug Patent, but We Need Other Solutions

A Competition Commission probe recently resulted in a patent on an important tuberculosis medicine being dropped in South Africa. Twenty years ago, a similar Competition Commission… Read more »

South Africa: Dr Nikki Allorto Is One of the Only Surgeons in KZN Doing Skin Grafting - and She Does Powerlifting to Keep Her Heart Strong

Burn injury has been described as the forgotten global public health crisis. Dr Nikki Allorto says that while it may be a neglected issue in South Africa, she is making sure her… Read more »

South Africa: #inthespotlight | Poorly Controlled Diabetes Is a Top Killer, Time to Take It More Seriously

The South African government has adopted a national target to bring the blood sugar levels of people with diabetes under control. But beyond the target, the country's response to… Read more »

South Africa: Eye Health Services in the Public Sector Are Critically Impaired - It Is High Time the Health Department Responds

Despite South Africa producing a substantial number of trained optometrists, the majority of them work in the private sector and in urban areas. This imbalance leaves rural… Read more »

South Africa: Why We Don't Have Long-Acting HIV Treatment in South Africa

In South Africa, HIV treatment means taking one or more antiretroviral tablets a day. People in some other countries have the additional option of treatment in the form of two… Read more »

South Africa: Fight Not Yet Over As Case Against Vertex Is Dropped After Cutting Cystic Fibrosis Medicine Price

Last year a South African woman took a multibillion-dollar United States pharmaceutical company to court with the aim of securing access to life-changing cystic fibrosis medicines.… Read more »

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 »

Africa: Aids 2024 - Exciting Developments With the Jabs Promising to Revolutionise HIV Prevention

Taking antiretrovirals to prevent HIV infection mostly still involves swallowing one or more pills a day. Some long-acting products that work for a month or two at a time have been… Read more »

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 »

South Africa: Medicines Stockouts Persist in North West As Tide Turns Slowly

Despite some improvement over the past three years, the North West province continues to experience medicine shortages, according to a survey by a community clinic monitoring… Read more »

South Africa: Walking With 'Nomakhayas' - How the Bulungula Incubator Is Creating Change in Wild Coast Communities

An innovative health programme is thriving and making a difference in the lives of people in rural Eastern Cape communities. Sue Segar spent time with the project, walking with… Read more »

South Africa: 'We Were the First Ones to Do It' - Innovative Study Takes TB Tests to Homes

Most tuberculosis (TB) tests still require a trip to the clinic. Now, new technology has made it possible to test people at home. This could be a big deal for South Africa, where… Read more »

South Africa: How 'NHI On Wheels' Is Making a Difference to Young People in the Eastern Cape

The Keready project uses mobile clinics to take healthcare services to rural areas. Sue Segar spent time with the project as they took eye, dental, and other healthcare services to… Read more »

South Africa: New North West Health MEC Sello Lehari Vows to Prioritise NHI

Sello Lehari is the newly-appointed MEC for health in the North West province. Critics have doubts about his deployment while healthcare unions stand ready with several items for… Read more »

South Africa: Codeine Addiction in SA - New Guideline Aims to Curb Abuse

Rehab centres in South Africa have been admitting an increasing number of codeine users in recent years. Now, the country's medicines regulator has published a draft guideline as… Read more »