March 12
South Africa: NHI Pause Should Be Used to Build Stronger Healthcare Foundations
Universal health coverage cannot succeed with fragmented systems, weak data, and largely symbolic participation. A recent court-ordered pause to NHI implementation offers a chance… Read more »
March 11
South Africa: Global Health Infrastructure Is Changing. Why Getting It Right Matters for South Africa
Funding cuts over the last year or so have created a crisis for multilateral health institutions. Which institutions emerge from this crisis, and in what form, will have real… Read more »
March 09
South Africa: A Quiet Crisis - Babies Born With Hearing Loss Often Diagnosed Too Late in South Africa
Despite the proven benefits of newborn hearing screening and early intervention, universal screening is not yet mandated in South Africa and is only available at a few public… Read more »
March 05
South Africa: Through Dust and Carrying Steel, Maryke Bezuidenhout Takes Care to People With Disabilities in KZN's Rural Corners
Maryke Bezuidenhout is constantly on the road in rural, northern KwaZulu-Natal visiting and helping people with disabilities where they live. As part of Spotlight's new Rural… Read more »
March 04
South Africa: The Mosquito Hunters Working Against Rising Floods and Shrinking Budgets to End Malaria in South Africa
Get to know South Africa's malaria experts as they outrun hitchhiking mosquitoes and pollution-hardy bugs while navigating a regional funding collapse and a spiralling climate… Read more »
March 03
South Africa: Early Treatment Helps Protect the Brains of People Living With HIV
Antiretroviral therapy has shifted HIV from a fatal to a chronic condition. But neuropsychiatrists say it is imperative for people living with the virus to start treatment… Read more »
February 27
South Africa: As Another Rare Diseases Day Swings By, Is SA Ready to Take It More Seriously?
Individual rare diseases impact only a very small fraction of people, but collectively they are estimated to affect over three million in South Africa. As we mark International… Read more »
February 26
South Africa: Behind the Scenes - the Amazing People Driving a 'Truly South African' HIV Vaccine Study
A cutting-edge, South African-led HIV vaccine trial built on decades of research recently kicked off in Cape Town. Spotlight unpacks what exactly is being studied, and how the… Read more »
February 25
South Africa: Obesity Medicines Are Needed in SA's Public Sector. Can Our Government Provide Them?
In South Africa, access to weight loss medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro remains limited to those who can shell out a few thousand Rand a month. In the second article of a… Read more »
February 19
South Africa: Consolidate the Funding of South Africa's District Health System - Why Reform Can't Wait
District managers in South Africa's public healthcare system currently have to juggle funding from multiple government budget lines, each with different strings attached. To… Read more »
February 17
South Africa: Spotlight Launches New TB Dashboard
Spotlight has unveiled a new tuberculosis (TB) dashboard and graph generator. We hope this dashboard will help people get a clearer picture of the state of South Africa's TB… Read more »
February 12
South Africa: How Medicines Pricing Works in South Africa and How It Might Change in Future
In South Africa, as in many places, pharmaceutical companies are not free to change medicine prices as they wish. In his latest Inside The Box column, Dr Andy Gray unpacks how… Read more »
February 11
South Africa: The Professor Who Wouldn't Look Away - Leslie London On Poison, the 'Dop System', and Genocide
From academic corridors to ministerial meetings and rural reaches, Leslie London has never shied away from speaking truth to power. Spotlight speaks to the Emeritus Professor at… Read more »
February 09
South Africa: South Africa Has a 'Bogus Doctor' Problem
Bogus medical practitioners threaten the health of patients and undermine trust in doctors. The problem might be growing, but so is the fight against it. Read more »
February 06
South Africa: 'There Are Good People Out There Who Want to Do Good Things' - How Healthcare Services Are Being Taken to Rural Western Cape Farms
The health department in the Western Cape is partnering with farms in the Cape Winelands to provide easier access to healthcare for farm workers. Spotlight unpacks one such… Read more »
February 04
South Africa: Blockbuster Weight-Loss and Diabetes Medicines Sales Surge Despite Cost Barriers
Sales of weight loss medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro have sky-rocketed in South Africa in recent years, although they remain too expensive for most people who might benefit… Read more »
January 19
Africa: Spotlight's Top 9 Health Stories to Watch in 2026
From the limited rollout of a new HIV prevention jab to developments with new weight loss medicines, to high-stakes court cases relating to National Health Insurance (NHI), 2026 is… Read more »
January 15
South Africa: Clinic Blockades - It Is the State's Obligation to Remove Every Barrier to Health Services
Vigilantes have unlawfully prevented people they deemed to be foreign nationals from accessing public healthcare services. SECTION27 health activists map out the implications of a… Read more »
January 14
South Africa: SA Has an Oral Health Crisis, New Hpcsa Oversight Boards Need to Step Up Urgently
The new board members for the Health Professions Council of South Africa have an opportunity to tackle the growing oral disease crisis by dealing with regulatory gaps and inequity,… Read more »
January 13
South Africa: If Covid-19, Why Not TB? Mr President, It's Time for a Family Chat
South Africa had several "family chats" in which President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He should do the same for tuberculosis,… Read more »
December 08, 2025
South Africa: Health in 2025 - the Year in Fewer Than 1,000 Words
The year's biggest health story by far has been the cuts to US aid for health and US support for health research. But it's also been a year of important HIV prevention… Read more »
December 04, 2025
South Africa: Patients Left Vulnerable As Diabetes Supplies Dwindle
Getting to grips with rising diabetes rates is arguably one of the most urgent tasks for South Africa's public healthcare system, but the setbacks keep coming. While some… Read more »
December 03, 2025
South Africa: #InsideTheBox With Dr Andy Gray - Where Are We On the Road to More Coherent Cannabis Regulation?
There has been much confusion and misunderstandings about how cannabis and associated products are regulated in South Africa, with government's own missteps adding to the… Read more »
December 02, 2025
South Africa: Six Striking Findings From Major TB Conference
From studies of new medicines and a mask used to diagnose TB, there was no shortage of interesting findings presented at the recent Union World Conference on Lung Health, held in… Read more »
November 26, 2025
South Africa: Salim Abdool Karim | Transforming Adversity Into Opportunity for the Aids Response
As World AIDS Day 2025 swings by, CAPRISA Director Professor Salim Abdool Karim reflects on the frantic days following this year's unprecedented cuts to health aid and research… Read more »
