March 08
South Africa: Effective Reduction to Health Promotion Levy Undermines Diabetes Response
Non-communicable diseases are killing more and more people in South Africa yet the government missed out on raising a total of more than R15 billion for prevention efforts, argues… Read more »
December 11, 2023
South Africa: Health in 2023 - a Deceptively Busy Year in Fewer Than 1 000 Words
2023 was a busy year for healthcare in South Africa. There were several policy developments, landmark court cases, important pieces of legislation, and some changes in leadership.… Read more »
December 04, 2023
South Africa: Integrating HIV and NCD Care Is Critical but Not Straightforward, Clinicians Say
With the remarkable success of antiretroviral treatment people living with HIV in South Africa are generally living much longer than they did two decades ago - so much so that… Read more »
November 01, 2023
South Africa: There Is So Much to Be Done,' Says Founder of SA's Largest Online Diabetes Community
As a type 1 diabetic, first diagnosed days away from slipping into a hyperglycaemic coma, diabetes education is near Bridget McNulty's heart. Eyes ablaze and hands trailing the… Read more »
August 14, 2023
South Africa: Incentives Seem to Work in Private Healthcare, Why Not in Public?
Doing 'the right thing' for one's health, be it eating well, exercising, or going for an annual HIV test or blood pressure check, is easier said than done. One way to nudge people… Read more »
June 23, 2023
South Africa: Taking a Spoon to a Knife Fight - Is SA Ready for Rising Obesity Rates?
Experts describe rising obesity rates in South Africa as an "urgent crisis", "a tsunami" - even an "epidemic" - that is costing lives, not to mention billions of rands. Tackling… Read more »
June 22, 2023
South Africa: Right of Reply - Reducing the Surgical and Cancer Treatment Backlogs Is an Urgent Priority
Recently an opinion piece was published on this platform bemoaning what the author described as a "... lack of urgency" to tackle the backlog of cancer treatment in Gauteng,… Read more »
June 19, 2023
South Africa: Can South Africa Meet Diabetes Targets, and Would We Know If We Did?
South Africa has the highest prevalence of diabetes in Africa, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). In 2021, an estimated one in nine adults in the country had… Read more »
June 09, 2023
South Africa: Worrying Lack of Urgency As Gauteng Health Sits On Money Earmarked to Outsource Urgent Cancer Treatment
It is almost three months since - partly through the efforts of SECTION27 and Cancer Alliance - money was made available to the Gauteng Health Department to outsource radiation… 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 »
March 15, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - the State of SA's HPV Vaccination Programme in 2023
"I was overwhelmed and in complete shock. I never expected what was pretty much a cancer scare in my twenties," says Johannesburg-based Rachel, who was 28 years old when she… Read more »
February 15, 2023
Africa: Why Has the Price of This Cancer Medicine Risen and Fallen By Over a Thousand Percent Since 2016?
Lenalidomide is an important medicine used for the treatment of multiple myeloma - a type of bone marrow cancer that is not curable and typically requires long-term, ongoing… Read more »
October 19, 2022
South Africa: Cancer Surgeon Resigns and Volunteers Withdraw From Helen Joseph Hospital
The resignation of renowned breast cancer specialist surgeon Professor Carol-Ann Benn from the Helen Joseph Hospital has fuelled concerns about the loss of expertise for the public… Read more »
July 20, 2022
South Africa: #WhatItsLike - Helping Cancer Patients Navigate the Public Healthcare System in Gauteng
Some phone calls turn to dread for Ouma Mamatela. It is when she calls cancer patients to tell them they've made it to the top of the treatment waiting list - but then no one picks… Read more »
July 01, 2022
South Africa: Open Letter - Dr Mokgethi, You Must Act to Address Gauteng's Oncology Challenges
Below is an open letter by Warren Potter to Gauteng Health MEC Dr Nomathemba Mokgethi. Potter's partner has been affected by the ongoing challenges with radiation oncology in… Read more »