OPINION: How do we place COVID-19 in its proper context?
How worried should we be about COVID-19? How bad will it get? How do we place it in its proper context given the limited information we have about it?
Non-Communicable Diseases set to knock SA off its feet, warns Health Minister
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize says South Africa desperately needs to address the increase in the prevalence of Non-Communicable Diseases as measures to address NCDs to date have not had enough of an impact.
Wuhan Diaries: Student tells of lockdown, bad food and the fear of the imminent quarantine
As students in Wuhan anxiously await the go-ahead to fly home to South Africa, cabin fever sets in as their movements are severely restricted. They are isolated in their rooms and worry about the planned quarantine period.
OPINION: Community-led monitoring is a breakthrough in our HIV response
Thanks to community-led monitoring in South Africa, we now have the data to back up the stories we have all heard about – early morning queues that last all day long when clinics fail to open on time and then also close early, writes Anele Yawa and Lotti Rutter.
IN-DEPTH: What the budget means for healthcare in South Africa
Alicestine October buried herself in mountains of budget documents and spoke to the experts to figure out what Finance Minister Tito Mboweni’s new budget means for health. Here is what she found.
Covid-19 evacuation: I can’t wait to see my mom, says SA student in Wuhan
After two months in constant lockdown, with the ever-persistent fear of being infected with the coronavirus, a Free State student can’t wait to return to South Africa – even if it means spending 21 days in quarantine.
Are we ready for COVID-19? Government responds to 22 questions
How prepared is South Africa really for COVID-19? Spotlight and Daily Maverick sent government a combined list of 22 questions aiming to get beyond the hype and into the nitty-gritty of how and on what legal authority measures will be taken.
12 Myths about COVID-19 in South Africa
COVID-19 (Coronovirus Disease 2019) has fuelled fear and panic among many people across the globe – often based on misperceptions and unfortunately often against people from Asian descent. Here we try to dispel some myths and answer some common questions based on the available scientific evidence.
Special investigation: Shocking levels of child hunger in rural KZN
Alarming statistics put KwaZulu-Natal at the forefront of South Africa’s child hunger crisis, with around two to four times the reported levels in other provinces. Spotlight visited one of the province’s most rural districts to find the children at the heart of these numbers and the organisations making a difference.
NHI hearings hit SOWETO and West Rand
Alarm bells are still ringing even as the final public NHI hearings hosted by the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health wraps up in Gauteng this Monday.
What’s it like: Being a midwife in South Africa
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
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.