May 18, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - Mpumalanga's Healthcare Worker Shortage and What Is Being Done About It
There are over 100 clinics in Mpumalanga without visiting doctors, hundreds waiting on surgeries in hospitals due to a lack of surgeons and specialists, and only 60 working… Read more »
May 17, 2023
South Africa: Rheumatology in SA - Patients Pay the Price for Shortage of Specialists
"We do not have a reach of rheumatology in all provinces in South Africa," says Dr Ayesha Wadee, the president of the South African Rheumatism and Arthritis Association (SARAA). "I… Read more »
May 15, 2023
South Africa: 90-60-50 - Can SA Reach Its Hypertension Targets?
While HIV and tuberculosis (TB) rates in South Africa are slowly declining, indications are that rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension and diabetes are on the… Read more »
May 12, 2023
South Africa: Opinion - Why I Became a Nurse and What's Needed to Fix Nursing in SA
Today we celebrate Nurses as we do every year on 12 May. The International Council of Nurses proclaimed this year's slogan as 'Our Nurses, Our Future', but what is the future of… Read more »
May 11, 2023
South Africa: Interview - Cheri Nel, the Investment Banker From Joburg Taking On Pharma Over Cystic Fibrosis Medicines
"We fight the bacteria, guns a blazing!" says Johannesburg-based investment banker Cheri Nel. Read more »
May 10, 2023
South Africa: Despite Undertakings, Still No Permanent Head of Health in Northern Cape
The Northern Cape Department of Health has been without a permanent head since 2020. In this time the department has had at least two acting heads of department (HoDs) - the latest… Read more »
May 23, 2023
South Africa: New Policies Aim to Integrate Mental Health Support Into HIV Services
South Africa has both high rates of HIV and mental health conditions. Around 13.2% of people in South Africa are living with HIV, according to the latest estimates from Thembisa,… Read more »
May 29, 2023
South Africa: Interview - Dr Lebogang Phahladira On His Journey From Studying By Candlelight to Winning a Major Schizophrenia Research Award
In his Twitter biography, 40-year-old Dr Lebogang Phahladira describes himself as "a rookie clinician-researcher who keeps trying and trying". Now, he is just back from Toronto,… Read more »
May 26, 2023
South Africa: Groote Schuur Hospital Clears Backlog of 1 500 Surgeries
Much of South Africa's public health sector is plagued by long waiting times for surgery, a situation that was made much worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, an inspiring project… Read more »
May 08, 2023
South Africa: Ramaphosa Proclaims 'Health Revolution' At Second Presidential Health Summit
The Presidential Health Summit held on Thursday and Friday last week set out ten key areas targeted for intervention to meet the South African government's objective of advancing… Read more »
May 09, 2023
South Africa: Courts to Decide Whether Pharmacists Can Start HIV Medicines Without a Doctor's Script
In August 2021, the South African Pharmacy Council (SAPC) published legislation in the Government Gazette to enable pharmacists to prescribe and dispense antiretroviral medicines… Read more »
April 26, 2023
South Africa: New Mental Health Policy Welcomed, but Experts Concerned Over Implementation
South Africa's long-awaited new National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2023 - 2030 took centre stage this week at the two-day SA Mental Health Conference in… Read more »
April 25, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - How Cystic Fibrosis Is Being Treated in SA While Breakthrough Meds Remain Out of Reach
Legal action is underway in South Africa to improve access to a game-changing new class of medicines called CFTR modulator therapies for treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF). Where… Read more »
April 24, 2023
South Africa: Can Digital Adherence Technologies Help With Adherence to HIV Medicines?
Around 7.8 million people were living with HIV in South Africa in 2022, of which 5.7 million were taking antiretroviral treatment. People living with HIV who take antiretroviral… Read more »
April 20, 2023
South Africa: The Promise of a Financial Boost for TB Programmes - Where to From Here?
South Africa's new roadmap to tackle HIV, TB and sexually transmitted infections - the National Strategic Plan - lays out an ambitious list of priority actions that need to be… Read more »
April 19, 2023
South Africa: New RSV Vaccine Can Save Thousands of Lives, Researchers Say
The first vaccine to prevent severe lung infections, including pneumonia, in infants will save thousands of lives and reduce the burden on health systems of low- to middle-income… Read more »
April 17, 2023
South Africa: Interview - Being a Good Doctor Requires Empathy, Says Outgoing Health Ombud Prof Malegapuru Makgoba
As a young boy surrounded by hills in Limpopo, Malegapuru William Makgoba says he used to rest in the shade of marula trees, minding his father's ducks, sheep, and goats, while… Read more »
May 05, 2023
South Africa: Analysis - 21 Months Later, What Progress Has Wagner Made in the Eastern Cape?
For years, the Eastern Cape Department of Health has made the headlines, often for the wrong reasons. From rat-infested hospitals and newborn babies dying in overcrowded and… Read more »
May 04, 2023
South Africa: 'That Iron Suitcase Saved My Life' - Retired Nurse Reflects On 37 Years of Service
When Boitumelo Motsei became a nurse, she didn't expect that she would also have to learn to ride a bicycle or drive a donkey cart. Read more »
May 03, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - SA's Obesity Problem and the Promise of New Weight Loss Medicines
Obesity is a complicated public health issue that can be devastating on both the societal and the individual level. On one hand, it costs our economy millions and is a strain on… Read more »
May 02, 2023
South Africa: Eikehof Care Home - a Refuge for Many Cancer Patients On Treatment Far Away From Home
Even on a grey winter's day, the Eikehof care home in a quiet Athlone cul-de-sac in Cape Town is sun-washed and bright. In the kitchen, general assistants Tania Mazamebela and… Read more »
April 18, 2023
South Africa: Access to Sufficient Colostomy Bags Still Hit-and-Miss At Gauteng Hospitals
Six months after Spotlight first reported on the plight of stoma patients experiencing shortages of colostomy and urostomy bags at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH)… Read more »
April 11, 2023
South Africa: What New STI Prevention Findings Mean for SA
Last year, Spotlight reported that taking a widely available antibiotic after condomless sex can reduce the risk of contracting three different sexually transmitted infections… Read more »
April 13, 2023
Africa: Major Study Turns Spotlight On Formula Milk Industry
The scientific evidence that exclusive breastfeeding is best for infants is very strong. Yet, some baby milk formula companies continue to use questionable methods to create demand… Read more »
April 14, 2023
South Africa: Oral Health Services for Persons With Special Needs Still Lacking
In a landmark ruling earlier this year, the Bhisho High Court ruled that the Eastern Cape Department of Health would not need to make lump sum payments for future medical expenses… Read more »