Why including pregnant women in a TB study in SA was a big deal

Why including pregnant women in a TB study in SA was a big deal

Pregnant women are typically excluded from clinical trials of new TB medicines. This has led to a lack of solid scientific evidence on how best to treat women who fall ill with TB while they are expecting. Tiyese Jeranji asked local TB experts about the problem and puts the spotlight on a recent study that broke the mould by opening its doors to pregnant women.

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NHI offers an opportunity to boost primary healthcare – we must seize it

NHI offers an opportunity to boost primary healthcare – we must seize it

To see National Health Insurance primarily as the setting up of a state-run medical aid scheme risks underplaying its massive potential to restructure how public healthcare services are organised and funded, and with that, its potential to boost the delivery of primary healthcare services in South Africa, argues Russell Rensburg.

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Accountability is critical at National AIDS Council, says new civil society leader

Accountability is critical at National AIDS Council, says new civil society leader

HIV activist Solly Nduku was recently elected to the top civil society position at SANAC. Thabo Molelekwa asked Nduku and his newly elected deputies about their plans and priorities for the council.

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Family physicians poised for bigger role in public healthcare – after years on the sidelines

Family physicians poised for bigger role in public healthcare – after years on the sidelines

Around twenty years ago, family physicians seemed set to take up roles as critical cogs across South Africa’s public healthcare system, but in the years since, doctors trained in this speciality have largely been underutilised. That is now finally set to change, according to the Department of Health, Chris Bateman reports.

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Efficacy of 6-monthly HIV prevention jab confirmed in second major study

Efficacy of 6-monthly HIV prevention jab confirmed in second major study

In June, we heard what could be this year’s biggest HIV breakthrough: a twice-yearly injection can prevent HIV infection. Findings from a second large study of the jab has now confirmed that it works. Elri Voigt goes over the new findings and unpacks the licenses that are expected to facilitate the availability of generic versions of the jab in over a hundred countries, including South Africa.

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NHI Act offers no answer to high medicines prices

NHI Act offers no answer to high medicines prices

The National Health Insurance Act does not deal with the systemic issues that cause high prices and inequity in medicine access, and government is not listening, argues Fatima Hassan.

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Nelson Mandela Bay clinics under siege as crime threatens healthcare

Nelson Mandela Bay clinics under siege as crime threatens healthcare

A series of robberies at healthcare facilities in the Eastern Cape has disrupted services, with patients sometimes left waiting outside while clinics limit the number of people allowed in. This follows the provincial health department spending over R700 million on security contracts in the past financial year, reports Luvuyo Mehlwana.

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#InTheSpotlight | How will NHI unfold? Here are three possible scenarios

#InTheSpotlight | How will NHI unfold? Here are three possible scenarios

As health department officials move to set up National Health Insurance’s basic structures, including its board, several experts say the scheme remains a pipe-dream, doomed to the same fate as Gauteng’s aborted e-tolls project. In this Spotlight special briefing, Jesse Copelyn outlines three possible scenarios for how NHI might pan out over the coming years.

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Why people stop taking their HIV treatment and what we can do about it

Why people stop taking their HIV treatment and what we can do about it

Stopping antiretroviral treatment when you are living with HIV can result in increased HIV transmission, illness, hospitalisation, and eventually death. To combat such disengagement with HIV treatment, Professor Graeme Meintjes and colleagues argue we need smarter differentiated care and better education of healthcare workers, people living with HIV, and communities.

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Virchow Prize winner Prof Lucy Gilson on SA’s NHI: ‘Service delivery requires people, not just money’

Virchow Prize winner Prof Lucy Gilson on SA’s NHI: ‘Service delivery requires people, not just money’

Professor Lucy Gilson scooped the prestigious international Virchow Prize. She chats to Biénne Huisman about her upbringing, unexpected dive into the world of public health, and shares her thoughts on National Health Insurance. She says it will take more than money to fix our health system.

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Mandatory health insurance for SA is an ‘upgrade’ on NHI, proponents say

Mandatory health insurance for SA is an ‘upgrade’ on NHI, proponents say

The idea of mandatory medical scheme coverage for employed people has made a comeback after the case for it was made at a recent conference. Chris Bateman unpacks how a system with mandatory medical scheme membership for the employed might work and asked experts whether it represents a viable alternative to government’s NHI plans.

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Nursing in SA is changing, but is it enough to avert an anticipated crisis?

Nursing in SA is changing, but is it enough to avert an anticipated crisis?

The increased professionalisation of nursing in South Africa in recent years marks a significant shift in the perception and practice of this essential healthcare field. As the country grapples with a critical shortage of nurses and the ongoing challenges of aligning nursing education with new higher education standards, Thabo Molelekwa asks local experts about the future of nursing in the country.

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