People with HIV are living longer but have fewer years of good health. New guidelines aim to change that

People with HIV are living longer but have fewer years of good health. New guidelines aim to change that

South Africa has an ageing population of people living with HIV. For the first time a set of clinical guidelines maps out a framework to help keep this group of people healthier for longer, reports Elna Schütz.

Read More

Positive interim findings on new once-weekly HIV treatment pill

Positive interim findings on new once-weekly HIV treatment pill

A new antiretroviral combination pill that is taken only once a week appears to work as well as daily pills at treating HIV. This is according to interim study findings to be presented next week at the AIDS 2026 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Read More

When medicines are made outside the factory: Why pharmacovigilance matters more than ever

When medicines are made outside the factory: Why pharmacovigilance matters more than ever

A high-profile court case has thrust the legalities of compounding medicines in South Africa into the spotlight. Behind the immediate legal issues, hide a series of unresolved questions about how we should ensure that compounded medicines used in South Africa are safe, argue Professor Renier Coetzee and Lara van Niekerk.

Read More

“At the clinic … you can feel them staring” – How specialised services are helping trans people in George

“At the clinic … you can feel them staring” – How specialised services are helping trans people in George

An NGO offers safe, private HIV services to Men who Have Sex with Men and transgender people in George. Sue Segar met with some of the people using these services, and found the NGO, TB HIV Care are already providing relief from the hostile reactions trans people sometimes experience in government clinics.

Read More

“My kids will never struggle like I did” – how one doctor’s vision opened doors for hundreds of rural healthcare workers

“My kids will never struggle like I did” – how one doctor’s vision opened doors for hundreds of rural healthcare workers

Dr Andrew Ross’s idea of sponsoring rural students to study for careers in healthcare has succeeded beyond his dreams. Sue Segar sat down with him and chatted to the four students who bagged the initial fully funded scholarships and who went on to land senior roles in public health.

Read More

From test tubes to treatment: Two TB researchers on getting the ancient disease themselves

From test tubes to treatment: Two TB researchers on getting the ancient disease themselves

Being a researcher who studies tuberculosis in the lab is one thing, having the TB bug in your lungs is quite another. Elri Voigt sat down with two of a relatively small number of people who have experienced both.

Read More

Mireille Wenger | What 49 000 Western Cape teenagers taught us about preventing alcohol abuse and violence

Mireille Wenger | What 49 000 Western Cape teenagers taught us about preventing alcohol abuse and violence

A survey of 49 000 teenagers in the Western Cape reminds us that preventing violence does not begin in a hospital, a police station or a courtroom. It begins much earlier, in families, schools, sports fields, faith communities and neighbourhoods, writes Western Cape Provincial Minister of Health and Wellness Mireille Wenger.

Read More

To make PIMART work we need to plan – we should focus on these three P’s

To make PIMART work we need to plan – we should focus on these three P’s

Eight months after the Supreme Court of Appeal gave the green light for specially trained pharmacists to dispense antiretrovirals without a script from a doctor, the programme remains stuck in the starting blocks. With enabling permits now seemingly on the horizon, Angela Tembo and Dr Deanne Johnston ask if there has been sufficient planning to make the initiative a success.

Read More

SA has three spheres of government: Which is responsible for providing primary healthcare services?

SA has three spheres of government: Which is responsible for providing primary healthcare services?

A court battle over blocked access to Johannesburg clinics has exposed how responsibility for ensuring access to healthcare services is divided between national, provincial and local government. Ahead of local government elections in November, Christina Pitt investigates where exactly the dividing lines lie.

Read More

The Charlotte Maxeke fire should have been a national turning point – is SA now ready to listen?

The Charlotte Maxeke fire should have been a national turning point – is SA now ready to listen?

The fire that engulfed parts of Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital was never just a fire, it was a warning, argue Dr Haseena Majid and Professor Mogie Subban. Five years later, the real question they say is whether South Africa is prepared to listen.

Read More

In The Spotlight | What is in SA’s vaccination schedule and how does it measure up?

In The Spotlight | What is in SA’s vaccination schedule and how does it measure up?

Which vaccines are in use in South Africa and how does our vaccination schedule measure up to international standards? In this #InTheSpotlight special briefing, Catherine Tomlinson unpacks the recent history and details the vaccines currently being used in the country.

Read More

A guide to South Africa’s 12 childhood vaccines

A guide to South Africa’s 12 childhood vaccines

There are 12 childhood vaccines in wide use in South Africa. This guide unpacks what you need to know about each of them.

Read More