South Africa’s dangerous mix of fake medicines and bogus doctors
Fake and substandard medicines, along with bogus healthcare practitioners, pose a growing threat to patient safety in South Africa.
Fake medicines: How regulators are trying to fix the problem in SA
From unregulated weight loss injections to unsafe pain tablets, substandard and falsified medical products pose a threat to the health of people. Elna Schütz reports on how regulators are fighting the problem in South Africa.
The Thursday evening clinics changing lives in Nkqubela
Seasonal workers in Robertson often struggle to get to the clinic to access basic healthcare during the day, so community health workers in the Langeberg have set up mobile clinics to visit the township at night. Sue Segar reports.
SA’s ARV programme hardly grew in 2025, according to latest estimates
The number of people in South Africa on antiretroviral treatment remained roughly unchanged from 2024 to 2025, according to just-published estimates from the leading mathematical model of HIV in the country. This suggests that the disruption of US aid for HIV services has slowed the growth of our HIV treatment programme, but the impact so far is not as severe as some researchers feared it might be. Marcus Low reports.
Along dusty roads in KZN, a push for a groundbreaking HIV prevention jab takes shape
Along dusty roads in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Biénne Huisman speaks to youth leaders, community mentors and leading scientists who are collaborating to bring a groundbreaking HIV prevention jab to this area where HIV infection rates remain stubbornly high.
Inside The Box with Dr Andy Gray | How can we know that medicines sold in pharmacies are of good quality?
We can generally trust that the medicines we buy at pharmacies contain what they are supposed to and that they were manufactured according to good quality standards. In his latest column, Dr Andy Gray zooms in on the regulatory scaffolding that enables this trust.
To the US and back: SA’s Prof Willem Hanekom reflects on the joys of science and a career ‘running with opportunities’
At his Durban office, Professor Willem Hanekom tells Biénne Huisman about taking a ventilated young patient to the Sea Point promenade, living with HIV, the need for an African research agenda, and the recurring joy that has defined his career.
Cape Town’s unique kidney clinic is keeping youngsters alive
Young people with kidney disease in South Africa often fall into the gap between the paediatric and adult healthcare systems. One innovative clinic in Cape Town is offering a solution tailor-made for this group. Elna Schütz reports.
It is time for SA to get serious about the link between substance abuse and mental health
Substance abuse is both a symptom and a consequence of untreated mental illness, and government needs to urgently step in to confront this dangerous overlap, argues Gauta Mashego of SECTION27.
Where children die | The Bells know that loving comes with loss and they open their hearts again and again
Fifteen years ago, when Christoff and Tarryn Bell fell in love with a severely ill baby in a KwaZulu-Natal orphanage, they had no idea this would kickstart a journey which would see them caring for numerous abandoned children with life-limiting illnesses. Sue Segar reports.
Where children die | The long search for care in rural KZN
When Thokozile Ndlovu found out that her baby had a life-limiting illness, she went from pillar to post looking for medical help. Her journey took her to one of the only places offering hope, the Butterfly Palliative Home in Ingwavuma in KwaZulu-Natal. Sue Segar reports.
Participatory democracy: What will be on the line when the country’s highest court turns to NHI in May?
From 5–7 May, the Constitutional Court will hear two of the multiple challenges to the NHI Act. Sasha Stevenson, Executive Director of SECTION27, considers what will be on the line in these first potentially landmark cases that deal with the process that led to the Act.