May 15
South Africa: South Africa's ARV Programme Hardly Grew in 2025, According to Latest Estimates
The number of people in South Africa on antiretroviral treatment remained roughly unchanged from 2024 to 2025, according to just-published estimates from the leading mathematical… Read more »
May 11
South Africa: Along Dusty Roads in KZN, a Push for a Groundbreaking HIV Prevention Jab Takes Shape
Along dusty roads in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Spotlight speaks to youth leaders, community mentors and leading scientists who are collaborating to bring a groundbreaking HIV… Read more »
May 05
South Africa: Cape Town's Unique Kidney Clinic Is Keeping Youngsters Alive
Young people with kidney disease in South Africa often fall into the gap between the paediatric and adult healthcare systems. One innovative clinic in Cape Town is offering a… Read more »
April 30
South Africa: It Is Time for South Africa to Get Serious About the Link Between Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Substance abuse is both a symptom and a consequence of untreated mental illness, and government needs to urgently step in to confront this dangerous overlap, argues Gauta Mashego… Read more »
April 29
South Africa: Where Children Die | the Bells Know That Loving Comes With Loss and They Open Their Hearts Again and Again
Fifteen years ago, when Christoff and Tarryn Bell fell in love with a severely ill baby in a KwaZulu-Natal orphanage, they had no idea this would kickstart a journey which would… Read more »
April 28
South Africa: Where Children Die - The Long Search for Care in Rural KZN
When Thokozile Ndlovu found out that her baby had a life-limiting illness, she went from pillar to post looking for medical help. Her journey took her to one of the only places… Read more »
April 23
South Africa: Participatory Democracy - What Will Be On the Line When the Country's Highest Court Turns to NHI in May?
From 5-7 May, the Constitutional Court will hear two of the multiple challenges to the NHI Act. Sasha Stevenson, Executive Director of SECTION27, considers what will be on the line… Read more »
April 21
South Africa: How Far Will 800 New Posts Take Western Cape Health?
The Western Cape health department is ramping up its workforce with 800 new frontline posts. After years of austerity and with long lists of vacancies, questions now turn to how… Read more »
April 16
South Africa: 'I'm Serving My People' - the Pastor Running a Rural Clinic That Treats More Than Illness
Growing up as the son of a single mother in the rural community of Ensingweni in KwaZulu-Natal, Bukhosi Mdletshe encountered the warm embrace of his community, including some key… Read more »
April 15
South Africa: SAMRC Rolls Out Rescue Grants - What Next for Research Projects Hit By Us Funding Cuts?
Cuts in United States funding for global health research over the past year dealt a heavy blow to South Africa's health research ecosystem, which has historically been heavily… Read more »
April 13
South Africa: 'When Other Kids Were Playing With Dolls, I Was Playing Being a Doctor', Says SA's New HIV and TB Czar
Spotlight meets South Africa's recently appointed Deputy Director-General for HIV, AIDS, TB and sexually transmitted infections, discussing the latest HIV prevention medicines, her… Read more »
April 10
South Africa: Ramaphosa's Choice of Director-General for Health Will Test His Commitment to Building a Capable State
When push comes to shove, President Cyril Ramaphosa's talk of building a more capable state hasn't always been backed up by the appointment of committed and capable people to key… Read more »
April 08
South Africa: What Breakthrough Weight Loss Meds Might Mean for People With HIV
In part 3 of a Spotlight special series on the role of new weight loss medicines like Ozempic in South Africa, we ask what these breakthrough jabs might mean for people living with… Read more »
April 07
South Africa: Moonlighting, Money and Morals in a Looted Health System
The Department of Health allows some public sector doctors and nurses to moonlight in the private sector, but the relevant policy and its implementation caused much controversy… Read more »
April 02
South Africa: What the Law Actually Says About Migrants' Right to Access Healthcare in SA
The media has reported several incidents where people were turned away at public healthcare facilities because they did not possess South African identity documents. As related… Read more »
April 01
South Africa: Flu Season Is Here, With Experts Keeping a Close Eye On New Flu Strain
Many regions in the Northern Hemisphere experienced a slightly earlier start to their flu season, driven in some part by a novel variant of influenza A(H3N2). As our flu season… Read more »
March 31
South Africa: Are There Appropriate Sanctions for Non-Compliance With Medicines Legislation in South Africa?
The sale of illegal medicines is a significant threat to public safety. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray asks whether the South African Health Products Regulatory… Read more »
March 30
South Africa: Child Stunting and Echoes of HIV - What It Will Take for South Africa to Change Course
Weeks after pledging to end child stunting by 2030, President Cyril Ramaphosa has kick-started a task team to drive this urgent national mission. But what concrete steps could… Read more »
March 26
South Africa: Tiny Tots and Big Science - Inside Brooklyn Chest Hospital's Decade Old Paediatric TB Hub
Soft toys, giggly kisses, and bright wards buzzing with excited children meet a driven team of staff and researchers producing world class work at Brooklyn Chest Hospital's… Read more »
March 25
South Africa: Well Over Three Million People in South Africa Develop Depression Every Year, Researchers Estimate
Around 3.8 million people in South Africa developed depression in 2024, estimate leading local researchers in a major new modelling study. Read more »
March 23
South Africa: The Invisible Fuel Driving Our TB Epidemic - What Do We Actually Know About Asymptomatic TB?
Although TB can be cured, it is still spreading in South Africa at alarming rates. One reason could be that some people with TB disease but without symptoms may unknowingly be… Read more »
March 20
Africa: After Centuries, TB Is Still the Bridesmaid, Never the Bride
The wins are there but the underlying reality remains, writes Professor Kogie Naidoo as she likens TB to a bridesmaid awaiting its turn to garner attention. The analogy is relevant… Read more »
March 18
Africa: The Fight Against TB Is Also the Fight for Human Rights
The persistence of TB is a reminder that medical solutions alone are not enough. Renier Coetzee and Ingrid Schoeman write that the disease thrives in conditions shaped by social… Read more »
March 17
Africa: The Hunt for a New TB Vaccine - Why We Are Now So Close, and Why It Matters
The only tuberculosis vaccine we have is a century old and offers only limited efficacy in children. With leading South African researchers involved in the pivotal clinical trials… Read more »
March 16
South Africa: A New TB Dashboard Can Help Boost Testing, We Need to Make the Most of It
The new government TB dashboard is a step forward for transparency and accountability in South Africa's response to the ancient, but still deadly, disease. It is critical that we… Read more »
