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 »

South Africa: Spotlight On Nehawu Strike - Dispatches From the Frontlines

By Tuesday morning, striking healthcare workers and support staff in various parts of the country had returned to work, but there are reports that back to work does not necessarily… Read more »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

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 »

South Africa: Some Improvement but Much More Needed to Address Health Needs of Key Populations

Bonang Moleleki, who represents Bong Jwa Tlhago Trans, a North West-based non-governmental organisation that works on transgender issues, tells Spotlight in her experience the… Read more »

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 »

Africa: What's the Deal With Viral Variants When It Comes to HIV?

When a study published last year on an HIV variant that has been circulating in the Netherlands for the last 20 years made headlines around the world, it was a reminder that… Read more »

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 »

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 »

Africa: Why South Africa Is Not Getting the New Bivalent SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines

The Department of Health is not planning to buy the new COVID-19 bivalent booster vaccines, specifically tailored to target Omicron variants, anytime soon. Read more »

South Africa: Conversations About Sex - We Must Do Better for Young People

Young people, especially young women, account for a huge chunk of the nearly 200 000 new HIV infections in South Africa every year. Preventing HIV infections in this group is thus… Read more »

South Africa: Should South Africa Invest in the Latest HIV Tests?

South Africa's mass HIV testing programme has been a huge success over the last decade, so much so that the country has almost hit the global target of 95% of people with HIV… Read more »

South Africa: Progress in Charlotte Maxeke Recovery, but HR and Other Problems Persist

2023 is the crunch year to complete the restoration of the fire-damaged sections of Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, but one month in, it has not been plain… Read more »

South Africa: Northern Cape Health Still Without Permanent Head As Suspended Officials Return

It may be business as usual in the Northern Cape Department of Health for the former acting Head of Health and the chief financial officer who are back at work after suspension,… Read more »