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What’s it like: Being a midwife in South Africa

February 21, 2020

While the word midwife often conjures up images of old-fashioned births, the profession is still a vital part of modern health care. Spotlight spoke to some midwives and those involved in training about what it takes to be a midwife.

Language barriers and overworked staff in Barkly West

February 20, 2020

In a candid interview, Aletta and James Wilscott of Barkly West in the Northern Cape lay bare the everyday challenges they face at the town’s Professor ZK Matthews Hospital. Spotlight visited the hospital to learn more.

Behind the scenes at Kimberley’s shiny, new, half-empty mental health hospital

February 18, 2020

Seven kilometres from Kimberley’s famous Big Hole, sits another of the mining city’s record-breaking landmarks: South Africa’s most expensive mental health hospital.

What it’s like: Being a cleaner at the Charlotte Maxeke casualty ward

February 17, 2020

As a cleaner at the emergency casualty ward at Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg, Sakhile Masombuka has seen a lot of blood and suffering. He chatted to Spotlight about his work.

OPEN LETTER: So, about our struggling healthcare system, Mr President

February 12, 2020

President Cyril Ramaphosa will today deliver his third state of the nation (SONA) address. Here is a few reminders and requests for his SONA.

Face to Face: Mase Manopole, Northern Cape MEC for Health

February 11, 2020

The Northern Cape is both South Africa’s largest and most sparsely populated province. Biénne Huisman sat down with Health MEC Mase Manopole to discuss healthcare in this often-forgotten part of the country.

NHI: Khayelitsha public hearings in pictures

February 10, 2020

The recent public hearings on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill in Khayelitsha drew a considerable crowd in the CBD Hall on Wednesday. Nasief Manie was there to capture the proceedings for Spotlight in pictures.

Rowdy Khayelitsha NHI hearing shows parties’ colours

February 7, 2020

The public hearing on the NHI Bill in Khayelitsha this week drew a big crowd from areas like Manenberg, Elsies River and Khayelitsha in what turned out to be a robust public hearing with strong political undertones.

Democracy or farce as NHI hearings hits Piketberg

February 6, 2020

If these public hearings on the NHI Bill is democracy in action – we are in trouble, writes Alicestine October.

Government plans massive PrEP rollout

February 5, 2020

The Department of Health aims to make a pill to prevent HIV infection available at all community health centres and primary healthcare clinics in South Africa by end September this year.

How a team at Groote Schuur is beating breast cancer against the odds

February 4, 2020

An inspiring team of doctors at Groote Schuur Hospital’s Breast Cancer Clinic are succeeding in the face of severe resource constraints.

Are we ready for NHI, among many questions in North West

February 3, 2020

MPs this weekend made their 7th pitstop for the public hearings on the National Health Insurance Bill (NHI). With seven provinces covered thus far, only the Western Cape and Gauteng remains.

MORE NEWS

IN FOCUS: Spotlight on NHI

SA compares well with US on some HIV metrics

January 31, 2020

The HIV epidemics in South Africa and the United States are different in important ways, but some key metrics look remarkably similar.

Calls in Mangaung to fix the healthcare system before implementing NHI

January 30, 2020

Many residents of Mangaung in the Free State came out in support of the NHI Bill during the public hearings this week but asked that existing problems in the healthcare sector be fixed.

No radical changes for WC health as new department head is introduced

January 24, 2020

The Western Cape Department of Health will get a new Head of Department, Dr Keith Cloete by April, but it seems there will be no radical changes to the strategic direction and work of this department.

Children’s health in 2020: Top 10 issues to watch

January 23, 2020

With little progress being made in certain areas of child, adolescent and maternal health, Kathryn Cleary spoke to the experts to outline the top 10 issues to watch for the new year and the new decade.

Projects use movies to change health behaviour

January 21, 2020

Some innovative local organisations are using film to empower people to make better decisions about their health.

Public Protector flags irregular KZN health contracts

January 20, 2020

The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has again been taken to task on poor contract management and allegations of tender irregularities – this time by the Public Protector.

Little access to safe surgery in SADC, conference hears

January 17, 2020

Only 5 percent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa have access to safe surgery and many countries in the region have no surgical policies, delegates heard yesterday at an agenda setting conference hosted by Stellenbosch University’s Centre for Global Surgery.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde. Photo: Nasief Manie/Spotlight

Face to Face: Winde on HIV, Zille and tough choices

January 15, 2020

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde is chairing the province’s AIDS council, something his predecessor Helen Zille did not do. Alicestine October sat down with Winde to discuss HIV, Zille and much more.

Health in 2020: Eight questions facing SA

January 10, 2020

Between President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ongoing new dawn and important healthcare reforms, 2020 will be a critically important year for healthcare in South Africa. Spotlight formulated eight questions to set out what is at stake.

Comprehensive sexuality education is a universal right

December 17, 2019

The scourge of HIV and deaths due to unsafe abortion among young people urgently calls for age appropriate Comprehensive Sex Education. It also calls for reform of restrictive laws and for more resources to be allocated to Sexual and Reproductive Health, writes Thuthukile Mbatha.

Medical Waste: The curious case of a contract extended for 16 years

December 13, 2019

The last time medical waste services in KwaZulu-Natal were delivered in terms of a standard non-extended, tender was 2003. With the cancelation of a recently advertised tender this highly irregular situation seems set to continue well into 2020.

US invests more in TB research, SA investment drops, report finds

December 13, 2019

In 2018 the United States invested $371 million in tuberculosis research and development (R&D). South Africa invested $4.5 million (R64,9 million) – a dramatic decrease on 2017, but still high when measured as a proportion of all R&D spending in the country.

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