March 29, 2023
South Africa: New Free State Health MEC Wants to Restore Hope in the Province's Healthcare Services
Her aim is to restore hope in healthcare services for the people of Free State, the province's new Health MEC Mathabo Leeto said shortly after being sworn in as MEC on 14 March. Read more »
March 28, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - Mostly Positive Responses to SA's New HIV, TB and STI Plan
South Africa's National Strategic Plan for HIV, TB and STIs (2023 - 2028) was launched on Friday at Tlhabane Stadium in Rustenburg, North West as the world commemorated World TB… Read more »
March 27, 2023
South Africa: We Need More Dedicated Investment to Address TB in Children
The theme of last year's World Tuberculosis (TB) Day was 'Invest to end TB' - an apt theme acknowledging the critical shortfall in funding for TB if we are to meet the 2035 goal of… Read more »
March 24, 2023
South Africa: Face to Face - Prof Muki Shey On His Journey From Cameroon to Doing Cutting-Edge TB Research
It was his own background including childhood sickness that inflamed Professor Muki Shey's passion for finding health solutions in resource-constrained settings. Read more »
March 23, 2023
South Africa: Making Good On the Promise of SA's TB Recovery Plan
Tuberculosis (TB) remains the leading cause of death in South Africa. In 2021, TB accounted for 56 000 deaths and 304 000 people got sick with TB in the country. This is part of an… 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 »
March 17, 2023
South Africa: Urgent Course Correction Needed On NHI, Climate Change, and Economic Policy #AfricaClimateCrisis
Kedibone Mmupele (27), her two children Onkarabile (2) and Nkune (6), and her younger siblings Mapule (7) and Sebengu (9) had not had a decent meal in weeks, media reports at the… Read more »
March 23, 2023
South Africa: Yes! We Can End TB in South Africa
Tuberculosis (TB), an ancient but curable disease, kills more people worldwide than any other infectious disease. Despite decades of global efforts to fight TB, more than 1.6… Read more »
March 22, 2023
South Africa: Supply Issues Delaying Wider Rollout of Shorter TB Preventive Therapy
Though estimates vary substantially, it is thought that in the region of 300 000 people fall ill with tuberculosis (TB) in South Africa every year. Many more people, however, have… Read more »
March 20, 2023
South Africa: New Guidelines Are a Step Forward for SA's TB Response
In February 2021, findings from South Africa's first national tuberculosis (TB) prevalence survey confirmed what many suspected - every year, tens of thousands of people sick with… Read more »
March 13, 2023
South Africa: Community Care Model Improves Uptake of TB Preventive Therapy, Study Finds
The uptake and continuation of tuberculosis (TB) preventive therapy were much higher when it was provided through a community-based model compared to the standard clinic-based… Read more »
March 08, 2023
South Africa: Head of Free State Health Department Not Suspended Despite Being Charged
It is business as usual at the Free State Department of Health with the acting Head of Department (HoD) Godfrey Mahlatsi back at work after he was released on R5 000 bail on 11… Read more »
March 10, 2023
South Africa: Patients to Benefit From New Funding and Decision to Let Private Sector Help With Gauteng's Oncology Backlog
On 8 March 2023, the Gauteng MEC for Finance Jacob Mamabolo delivered his budget speech in which he indicated that an amount of R784 million has been set aside for the provincial… Read more »
March 08, 2023
South Africa: No Place for Corrupt Officials in Free State, Says New Premier
In his first state of the province address, new Free State Premier Mxolisi Dukwana said the province will no longer be used as the breeding ground for corruption. Read more »
March 07, 2023
South Africa: Landmark Court Case Takes On U.S Maker of Cystic Fibrosis Drugs
Cystic fibrosis (CF), which is caused by a faulty gene inherited from one's parents, is a debilitating disease requiring difficult and time-consuming treatment and resulting in… Read more »
March 06, 2023
South Africa: Should SA's Public Hospitals Go Solar?
For businesses and households that can afford it, solar panels and batteries offer a way to keep the lights on during South Africa's ongoing bouts of loadshedding. Such… Read more »
March 03, 2023
South Africa: Underinvestment in Healthcare Infrastructure Will Cost Us in the Long Run
Investment in public health facilities is crucial as the country weathers storms on various fronts - from drought (water shortages) and flooding putting strain on health… Read more »
March 02, 2023
South Africa: Billions Allocated for Infrastructure Require More Progressive Procurement Systems and Oversight
Delivering his budget speech on 22 February, Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana focused on the major infrastructure - electricity, water, and municipal projects. This heavy focus… Read more »
February 23, 2023
South Africa: Opinion - Budget 2023 - Opportunity Missed to Refocus Public Health Spending?
The right to access healthcare services is guaranteed to everyone under Section 27 of the South African Constitution. On a population health level, South Africa has made good… Read more »
February 22, 2023
Africa: Take As Needed - Preventing HIV Might One Day Be As Easy As Using This Suppository
A small study conducted among 23 HIV-negative men and women in the United States has found that a quick-dissolving rectal suppository - no bigger than a fingernail - that contains… Read more »
South Africa: Vaginal Ring to Prevent HIV Safe to Use in Late Pregnancy and While Breastfeeding
Women can safely use a monthly, antiretroviral-containing vaginal ring to prevent HIV infection during late pregnancy and while breastfeeding with no risk to their babies, new… Read more »
February 21, 2023
South Africa: Disproportionate Number of Children in SA Have Severe Asthma, Experts Say
Despite being one of the most common non-communicable diseases globally and there being highly effective treatments for it, asthma is often not well controlled in many low-resource… Read more »
February 27, 2023
South Africa: What Next After Shortened TB Treatment Fails in Key Trial?
The current treatment for drug-susceptible tuberculosis (TB) used in South Africa involves a combination of four antibiotics, last for six months, effectively cures TB, and is dirt… Read more »
February 17, 2023
South Africa: NHI Bill Must Still Clear Many Hurdles to Ensure Adequate Medicine Access
A frightful piece of information came to light recently. The t pharmaceutical giant Pfizer announced its 2022 revenue at $100 billion. This is more than the combined health… Read more »
February 14, 2023
South Africa: R27m Needed to Get Eastern Cape EMS Plan Off the Ground
Gogo Nothembile Fanti (76) says she suffers from a heart condition and every time her grandchildren call an ambulance, they are told to wait, but it never arrives. She is one of… Read more »