June 19
South Africa: HPV Vaccination Switching to Single-Dose and Private Schools to Get Government Supply
A decade into South Africa's HPV vaccination programme, the health department is switching from a two-dose to a single dose vaccine regimen and girls in private schools are set to… Read more »
June 13
South Africa: Why Affirming Treatment for Gender Questioning Youth Matters in South Africa
Gender-affirming healthcare for transgender youth has sparked intense debate globally. In South Africa, we need to significantly improve accessibility throughout the country,… Read more »
June 12
South Africa: Criminalisation of Medical Errors - What Are the Issues?
The South African Medical Association has for years raised concerns about the criminalisation of medical errors, stressing that current legal practices may undermine patient safety… Read more »
June 11
South Africa: HIV Prevention Injections Exist, but Hardly Anyone Can Get Them
HIV prevention injections have been registered for use in South Africa, but their high price and limited supply means that for the next few years, while awaiting more affordable… Read more »
June 10
South Africa: The Health Minister South Africa Needs - Astute Politician, Inspired Leader, Humble and Fair
By month end, South Africa will have a new Minister of Health. Ufrieda Ho asked some academics and activists what qualities that person should have to tackle the key health issues… Read more »
June 07
South Africa: Open Letter | Minister of Health Joe Phaahla, Make TB a Political Priority
In this open letter to Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla, TB activists call for the disease to be made a political priority and demand multisectoral departmental accountability.… Read more »
June 06
South Africa: Slow Progress After Decision to Make TB Prevention Pills More Widely Available
Besides preventing illness and death, tuberculosis prevention therapy is estimated to be highly cost effective. Yet, uptake of the medication is not what it could be in South… Read more »
June 05
South Africa: More Uproar At Zithulele Hospital As Senior Doctor Is Moved
A senior doctor who worked at Zithulele Hospital in the Eastern Cape for close to a decade has been instructed to report to the Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital in Mthatha. Some… Read more »
June 04
South Africa: Who Will Be SA's Minister of Health in the New Cabinet?
After the ANC received less than 41% of the votes in last week's national elections, negotiations are now underway that will determine how and by who South Africa is governed.… Read more »
June 03
South Africa: At the Heart of the NHI Lies Fairness - Outgoing Chair of Parliament's Health Committee Defends Record
The chairperson of the National Assembly's Portfolio Committee on Health Dr Kenneth Jacobs played a pivotal role in deliberations on the National Health Insurance Bill. Spotlight's… Read more »
May 30
South Africa: A New Breed - the Thinking Behind Building a New Medical School in North West Province
Nthusang Lefafa speaks to public health experts to find out how a new medical school at North West University will do things differently. Read more »
May 28
South Africa: HIV Treatment for Kids Has Improved and There Is More to Come, Says Dr Moherndran Archary
Dr Moherndran Archary's research has helped shape South African health policy, most notably the rollout of better HIV treatments for children and babies. Spotlight's Biénne… Read more »
May 27
South Africa: #vote4health | Opposition Parties Promise to Resolve Healthcare Understaffing. Do They Have the Right Solutions?
Several political parties have pledged to plug shortages of healthcare staff at government hospitals and clinics by training more health workers. They're right to be concerned with… Read more »
May 22
South Africa: What Parties Are Putting On the Table for Healthcare in the Eastern Cape
Spotlight reached out to different political parties in the Eastern Cape to get their perspectives on how they plan to jack up healthcare in a province where thousands of people… Read more »
May 21
South Africa: Let's Be Pragmatic - the NHI Has Constructive and Contentious Aspects
President Cyril Ramaphosa recently signed the NHI Bill into law. The question is whether this will bring South Africa closer towards Universal Health Coverage. Professor Susan… Read more »
May 20
South Africa: Several Political Parties Dodge Questions On How They Plan to Improve Health in Gauteng
What is at stake in South Africa's upcoming provincial elections when it comes to healthcare? Ufrieda Ho put questions to five political parties about their plans to get Gauteng… Read more »
May 14
South Africa: #vote4health | What 10 Political Parties Have to Say On Spotlight's Top 7 Health Questions
Healthcare is an issue that at some point touches everyone in South Africa. It is also an issue that will impact who people vote for on the 29th of May. To help voters understand… Read more »
May 08
South Africa: A Humanist With an Unblinking Gaze - Professor Ntobeko Ntusi Takes the Hot-Seat At the South African Medical Research Council
Professor Ntobeko Ntusi may be soft-spoken, but he is not afraid to stand by his strongly held views. As he is set to take up the hot-seat at the country's primary health research… Read more »
May 03
South Africa: Three Health Reforms the New South African Government Must Prioritise
To drum up support as South Africans head to the polls, President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly vowed to "end the apartheid that remains in healthcare" when he hit the campaign trail.… Read more »
May 02
South Africa: Codeine Misuse - South Africa Set to Get New Guidelines
In response to high levels of codeine abuse in South Africa, health authorities have been developing a plan to track the supply of the drug from manufacturers all the way to… Read more »
April 30
South Africa: New Lab a Leap Forward for Oral Health in the Eastern Cape
A new lab promises to improve access to dental prostheses in the Eastern Cape, restoring thousands of smiles in the process. Dr Bulela Vava of the Public Oral Health Forum welcomes… Read more »
April 29
South Africa: Flu Rates Anticipated to Return to Pre-Covid-19 Levels
COVID-19-related factors resulted in several years of lower-than-normal rates of the flu, but experts say that is now something of the past. As this year's flu season gets under… Read more »
April 22
South Africa: Chronic Kidney Disease Rates Have Dropped in People With HIV, but Late Diagnosis Remains a Serious Problem
People living with HIV are at an increased risk of developing several opportunistic infections and co-morbidities, including chronic kidney disease. Elri Voigt unpacks the complex… Read more »
April 17
South Africa: SA Is Facing a Fast-Escalating Heroin Crisis - and It's Being Misunderstood
Various sources of data show that heroin use has increased markedly in South Africa. In this in-depth story, Jesse Copelyn analyses the drivers of the crisis, the policies that… Read more »
April 15
South Africa: Widely Used HIV Drug in SA Flagged for Reports of Resistance - but Experts Say Don't Panic
That HIV can develop resistance to the drugs used to treat it is nothing new, but results from recent studies reveal the emergence of resistance in subsets of people living with… Read more »
spotlight (Cape Town)
Website: https://www.spotlightnsp.co.za/
