SA has a “bogus doctor” problem
Bogus medical practitioners threaten the health of patients and undermines trust in doctors. The problem might be growing, but so is the fight against it. Elna Schütz reports.
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“There are good people out there who want to do good things” – How healthcare services are being taken to rural Western Cape farms
The health department in the Western Cape is partnering with farms in the Cape Winelands to provide easier access to healthcare for farm workers. Sue Segar unpacks one such partnership and why it is a triple win for workers, businesses and the government.
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Blockbuster weight-loss and diabetes medicines sales surge despite cost barriers
Sales of weight loss medicines like Ozempic and Mounjaro have sky-rocketed in South Africa in recent years, although they remain too expensive for most people who might benefit from the jabs. In the first article of this Spotlight special series, Catherine Tomlinson tracks their remarkable rise and assesses when they will become more widely available…
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How WhatsApp is being used to train healthcare workers
As HIV, TB and other treatments are updated in our public healthcare system, it is critical that healthcare workers and counsellors stay on top of the latest developments. One innovative programme makes use of short lessons delivered over WhatsApp to provide such training. Sue Segar reports.
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Spotlight’s top 9 health stories to watch in 2026
From the limited rollout of a new HIV prevention jab to developments with new weight loss medicines, to high-stakes court cases relating to National Health Insurance (NHI), 2026 is set to be another tumultuous year in healthcare. Here are nine stories that Spotlight will keep a close eye on.
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Bulela Vava | SA has an oral health crisis, new HPCSA oversight boards need to step up urgently
The new board members for the Health Professions Council of South Africa have an opportunity to tackle the growing oral disease crisis by dealing with regulatory gaps and inequity, as well as making decisive reforms to the industry, argues Dr Bulela Vava.
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Janet Giddy | If COVID-19, why not TB? Mr President, it’s time for a family chat
South Africa had several “family chats” in which President Cyril Ramaphosa addressed the nation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. He should do the same for tuberculosis, argues Dr Janet Giddy of the advocacy group TB Proof.
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Health in 2025 | The year in fewer than 1 000 words
The year’s biggest health story by far has been the cuts to US aid for health and US support for health research. But it’s also been a year of important HIV prevention developments, NHI court cases, ongoing crises in some of our provincial health departments, and some first steps toward accountability for the corruption at…
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Patients left vulnerable as diabetes supplies dwindle
Getting to grips with rising diabetes rates is arguably one of the most urgent tasks for South Africa’s public healthcare system, but the setbacks keep coming. While some communities are facing shortages of blood sugar meters and insulin pens, a smaller wave of insulin vial shortages is now on the horizon, reports Joan van Dyk.
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Where are we on the road to more coherent cannabis regulation?
There has been much confusion and misunderstandings about how cannabis and associated products are regulated in South Africa, with government’s own missteps adding to the uncertainty. In his last Inside The Box column for the year, Dr Andy Gray clearly sets out the current legal and regulatory situation and where we’re heading.
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Six striking findings from major TB conference
From studies of new medicines and a mask used to diagnose TB, there was no shortage of interesting findings presented at the recent Union World Conference on Lung Health, held in Copenhagen, Denmark. Elri Voigt rounds up six studies that stood out.
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New hope after shuttered Hillbrow transgender clinic finds new partner in state hospital
United States funding cuts shredded specialised services at a transgender clinic in the heart of Johannesburg. But a new collaborative initiative refuses to let this be the end of the journey for trans clients. Journalist Ufrieda Ho and photographer Thom Pierce meet some of the people at the forefront of the project.
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