February 21
South Africa: There Is a 'Worrying' Resurgence of Sexually Transmitted Infections in Gauteng
There's a comeback of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in South Africa and around the world. The Gauteng Department of Health recently reported an increase of newly acquired… Read more »
February 12
South Africa: SA's Cancer Data Has Significant Gaps - Now Patients Can Help Fix It
There are significant gaps in the data when it comes to understanding South Africa's cancer burden. Things are however set to improve with an initiative that will allow members of… Read more »
February 08
South Africa: Patient-Centred Health Care - the NHI Revolution You Deserve
A patient-centred health system will remain an illusion under the NHI unless the public health system is ramped up to better serve users and a clear path is outlined for… Read more »
January 24
South Africa: With Elections and NHI, This Is a Big Year for Healthcare in SA
South Africa is barrelling towards its most consequential and most competitive national and provincial elections since 1994, expected to take place in May. That the ANC's share of… Read more »
January 15
South Africa: This Is How SA Can Meet Its HIV Targets
"The path to ending AIDS is clear," states a recent UNAIDS report. "HIV responses succeed when they are anchored in strong political leadership, have adequate resources, follow the… Read more »
January 09
South Africa: We Can't Simply Close Dental Facilities During the Festive Period
On the 2nd of January 2024, Simphiwe*, needing emergency oral healthcare, turned to the Cala District Hospital in the Eastern Cape. However, she was confronted with a note on the… Read more »
December 11, 2023
South Africa: Health in 2023 - a Deceptively Busy Year in Fewer Than 1 000 Words
2023 was a busy year for healthcare in South Africa. There were several policy developments, landmark court cases, important pieces of legislation, and some changes in leadership.… Read more »
December 08, 2023
South Africa: Analysis - Where We Are With Nimart 13 Years Later
Like many countries, South Africa has a shortage of healthcare workers - particularly of doctors. One response to such shortages is task-shifting - in short, to let doctors focus… Read more »
December 07, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - What Is the Situation With Self-Managed Abortions in SA?
In a context where access to surgical abortion is limited, self-managed abortion has the potential to help women realise their right to terminate pregnancies, in privacy and from… Read more »
December 06, 2023
South Africa: Analysis - SA Close to Meeting TB Research Funding Targets, but Most Countries Falling Short
South Africa is one of only six countries to ever meet its "fair share target" for funding tuberculosis (TB) research, according to a Treatment Action Group (TAG) report published… Read more »
December 05, 2023
South Africa: Interview - 'I Used That Anger to Feed My Activist's Soul,' Says Former TAC General Secretary
Dressed in a dark jacket, rain is pelting Vuyiseka Dubula-Majola's face as she rushes past bare trees in Geneva, Switzerland. Along with her two children, Dubula-Majola has newly… Read more »
December 04, 2023
South Africa: Integrating HIV and NCD Care Is Critical but Not Straightforward, Clinicians Say
With the remarkable success of antiretroviral treatment people living with HIV in South Africa are generally living much longer than they did two decades ago - so much so that… Read more »
December 01, 2023
South Africa: SA Can't Afford Proposed Cuts to HIV Funding
In November this year, National Treasury proposed a R1 billion cut to HIV funding. This has come about because - rather than seeing the reduced price of antiretroviral treatment as… Read more »
November 30, 2023
South Africa: From a Pig Farm in Zim to Star HIV Researcher - Prof LGB Reflects On Her Remarkable Journey
In a double-storey building emblazoned with the face of late Archbishop Desmond Tutu, inside Professor Linda-Gail Bekker's office a bookshelf is stacked with titles on general… Read more »
November 29, 2023
South Africa: Amid Budget Constraints, Tough Choices for SA's HIV Response
Around 13% of South Africa's population are living with HIV and the country has the world's largest HIV treatment programme. The country's finances are however under huge pressure… Read more »
November 28, 2023
South Africa: Lead Poisoning Part 2 - Scientists Find Toxic Metals in Kitchenware
A small study published in September found that some ceramic plates and bowls bought from South African chain stores are coated in glaze that contains lead, a toxic heavy metal… Read more »
November 27, 2023
South Africa: Antibiotic Slashes Risk of Drug-Resistant TB in Kids, Finds Major SA Study
For decades the standard way to prevent people who were exposed to tuberculosis (TB) from falling ill with the disease was to offer them a medicine called isoniazid, taken daily… Read more »
November 23, 2023
South Africa: Funding Shortfall and Poor Roads to Blame for Ambulance Woes, Says Eastern Cape Health Dept
A recent labour dispute involving emergency medical service (EMS) workers in the Eastern Cape has once again placed the spotlight on the province's chronic EMS problems. Read more »
November 22, 2023
South Africa: 'Someone Had to Do It', Says TB Activist On Time 100 List
Phumeza Tisile from Khayelitsha was 19 years old when she contracted multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). She battled the disease for nearly four years, then lost her hearing… Read more »
November 21, 2023
Africa: What Is Behind the Shocking Number of Deaths Linked to Lead Poisoning?
An estimated 5.5 million people died of heart conditions linked to lead poisoning in 2019 - more than the number killed by outdoor air pollution over the same period. That's… Read more »
November 20, 2023
South Africa: Country's Remarkable TB Clinical Trial Capacity
Several of the world's most important tuberculosis (TB) clinical trials of the last two decades were done in part or entirely in South Africa. These include several trials that… Read more »
November 17, 2023
South Africa: 'I'm Doing It With My Whole Heart' - South Africa's Rural Nurse of Year
Nosiphiwo Gunuza from Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape was the first college graduate in her family - she is also her family's sole breadwinner. In addition, the 43-year-old… Read more »
November 15, 2023
South Africa: Questions Asked As Gauteng Health Sources Food From Limpopo
The Gauteng Department of Health has struggled this year to ensure that patients in the province's hospitals always have the food they need. In addition to several reports received… Read more »
November 14, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - How Do Long-Acting HIV Treatments Work?
Researchers have been trying to develop antiretroviral medicines that can last for weeks, months or even years per dose. It is thought that such long-acting therapies may… Read more »
November 10, 2023
South Africa: In-Depth - What New WHO TB Numbers Mean for SA
An estimated 54 200 people in South Africa died of tuberculosis (TB) in 2022 and around 280 000 fell ill with the disease, according to new World Health Organization (WHO) figures.… Read more »