Head of Free State health department not suspended despite being charged

By Refilwe Mochoari, March 8, 2022

Posted in: Free State, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

It is business as usual at the Free State Department of Health with the acting Head of the Department Godfrey Mahlatsi back at work after he was released on R5 000 bail on 11 February. Mahlatsi is accused of contravening the Public Finance Management Act, while some of his co-accused face charges ranging from corruption and fraud to money laundering. The alleged fraud and corruption led to an R8.7 million loss to the department. Refilwe Mochoari reports.

Head of Free State health department not suspended despite being charged

OPEN LETTER: It takes more than a march to remedy systemic challenges to abortion access

By Sibusisiwe Ndlela, Khanyisa Mapipa and Thokozile Mtsolongo, March 4, 2022

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Healthcare system, Latest, Reproductive Health, SRHR

On 17 February, Deputy Health Minister Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo led a march against unsafe abortions in Rustenburg, North West, but a march alone cannot eliminate barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing safe abortions in the public health system. Much more is needed, argue Sibusiwe Ndlela, Khanyisa Mapipa and Thokozile Mtsolongo in an open letter.

Tags: abortion abortion care abortion providers access to medicines Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act Department of Health Eastern Cape Department of Health featured illegal abortions medical abortion Medicine Stock-outs National Clinical Guidelines for the Implementation of the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act National Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights Policy reproductive health SECTION27 self managed abortion Sibongiseni Dhlomo women's health

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OPEN LETTER: It takes more than a march to remedy systemic challenges to abortion access

More focus needed on ageing with HIV

By Elri Voigt, March 3, 2022

Posted in: HIV, Latest

HIV and ageing were one of the hot topics at the recently held Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Elri Voigt reports.

Tags: access to healthcare antiretroviral therapy ART ART adherence cancer comorbidity Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2022)CROI diabetes featured HIV HIV and ageing HIV infection HIV status infectious diseases polypharmacy Stigma ViiV Healthcare

Programme delivers comprehensive HIV prevention and SRH services to learners

By Tiyese Jeranji, March 2, 2022

Posted in: Child health, Edition 6: HIV & teens, Edition 9: State of HIV, Healthcare system, HIV, Latest, Reproductive Health, SRHR

Even though the rate of new HIV infections in young women and adolescent girls remains stubbornly high, provision and uptake of pills that can prevent HIV infection have generally been slow and lagging. One potential solution presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections is to provide the pills at schools. Tiyese Jeranji reports.

Tags: adolescent girls and young women comprehensive sexuality education Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections contraceptives CROI Desmond Tutu Health Foundation featured HIV Prevention HIV testing and counselling Integrated School Health Programme Linda-Gail Bekker mental health Pre-exposure prophylaxis PrEP public health facilities Sexual and reproductive health rights STI screening teenage pregnancies Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute Wits RHI

Programme delivers comprehensive HIV prevention and SRH services to learners

Good and bad news about new TB vaccines

By Adele Baleta, February 28, 2022

Posted in: Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Edition 7: TB, Healthcare system, Latest, TB

While there are nine experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccines in advanced trials, the vaccine pipeline beyond those nine prospects is relatively depleted. Adele Baleta reports on this and much more from the virtual Global TB Vaccine Forum held last week.

Tags: BCG vaccine Department of Health EDCTP TB funding European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership featured Global TB Vaccine Forum HIV HIV-exposed human clinical trials ICGRA Interferon-Gamma Release Assays M72/AS01E TB vaccine candidate MTBVAC trial New York Times Vaccine Tracker safety and immunogenicity SATVI South African Tuberculosis Vaccine Initiative TB TB disease TB Funding TB infected adults TB infection TB vaccine TB vaccine pipeline TB Vaccine Research at Statens Serum Institut TB vaccine trials Treatment Action Group tuberculosis WHO WHO World TB Report 2020

OPINION: Despite some positives, budget is not up to our health challenges

By Russell Rensburg, February 25, 2022

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest

As we transition towards a different strategy in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and look to build up better, there was an expectation that the budget tabled this week, would provide insight into the government’s response and strategy to address the gaps left by COVID. Russel Rensburg looks at some of the budget’s hits and misses as it relates to healthcare.

Tags: Access to Health Department of Health Enoch Godongwana featured health budgets health spending HIV funding HIV programme National Health Insurance Conditional Grant national treasury NHI NHI Bill Rural Health Advocacy Project

OPINION: Despite some positives, budget is not up to our health challenges

NHI lawmakers: Face to Face with DA MP Michele Clarke

By Biénne Huisman, February 24, 2022

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, NHI

Michele Clarke recently took over the reins from Siviwe Gwarube as the Democratic Alliance’s health spokesperson and is no stranger to the hotbed of parliamentary politics. Bienne Huisman sat down with her to discuss taking up her new role amid ongoing deliberations on the NHI Bill in Parliament.

Tags: Democratic Alliance featured Michele Clark MPs NHI NHI Bill NHI public hearings Parliament Portfolio Committee on Health

NHI lawmakers: Face to Face with DA MP Michele Clarke

Health in the Eastern Cape: New plans to get chronic medicines to people in rural areas

By Siyabonga Kamnqa, February 23, 2022

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

On a scorching summer day, Siyabonga Kamnqa sat down to listen to the stories of some frustrated gogos and mkhulus waiting to collect their chronic medicines at the busy All Saints Hospital in the rural town of Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape. He then asked the province’s health department about its plans for getting medicines to people in rural areas.

Tags: access to healthcare access to medicine All Saints Hospital CCMDD programme Central Chronic Medicine Dispensing and Distribution chronic diseases Chronic Medicines diabetes Eastern Cape Eastern Cape Department of Health featured hypertension Ritshidze Project rural health

Health in the Eastern Cape: New plans to get chronic medicines to people in rural areas

Analysis: What does a security guard strike reveal about the Eastern Cape Department of Health?

By Luvuyo Mehlwana, February 21, 2022

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

Security guards at healthcare facilities in Nelson Mandela Bay went on strike in January when their salaries had not been paid. During the strike, healthcare workers had to close some clinics as they feared for their safety, and patients were left stranded. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports on what happened and asked the health authorities what plans are in place to prevent similar incidents amid persistent budget constraints.

Tags: Clinics Eastern Cape EASTERN CAPE HEALTH featured health budget health care workers health services medico-legal cases Nelson Mandela Bay Metro nurses patient safety public health facilities security at health facilities

Analysis: What does a security guard strike reveal about the Eastern Cape Department of Health?

Ten months later government hits reset button on Charlotte Maxeke Hospital repairs

By Ufrieda Ho, February 18, 2022

Posted in: Gauteng, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

After almost a year, the Gauteng Health Department yesterday announced a strategic reset for repairs at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital after a fire ravaged parts of the hospital in April last year. The announcement comes ahead of Gauteng Premier David Makhura’s State of the Province Address on Monday but still does not provide immediate relief to patients and hospitals buckling as a result of delays. Ufrieda Ho reports.

Tags: Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital City of Johannesburg doctors featured Gauteng Department of Infrastructure and development Gauteng Health MEC Gift of the Givers healthcare workers Helen Joseph Hospital nurses occupational health and safety public health facilities SIU

Ten months later government hits reset button on Charlotte Maxeke Hospital repairs

Omicron in children: What we have learnt so far

By Elri Voigt, February 16, 2022

Posted in: COVID-19, Healthcare system, Latest

Early in South Africa’s fourth COVID-19 wave, dominated by the Omicron variant, concerns were raised on what appeared to be an increase in hospitalisations among children. A few months on, Elri Voigt asks local experts what we have learnt about the Omicron variant in children.

Tags: Adjusted Alert Level 1 regulations child health children COVID-19 COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 transmission COVID-19 vaccine Department of Health featured Haroon Salojee hospital admissions National Institute for Communicable Diseases national vaccine rollout strategy NICS Omicron Pfizer/BioNtech Public Health SAHPRA South African Health Products Regulatory Authority

Omicron in children: What we have learnt so far

OPINION: What the Law Reform Commission’s proposals on medico-legal cases can mean for claimants

By Baone Twala, February 15, 2022

Posted in: Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, NHI

The South African Law Reform Commission recently published its discussion paper on medico-legal claims. Baone Twala unpacks the Commission’s proposals on law reform and what it may mean for claimants and the government.

Tags: claimants contingent liability Department of Health featured health budgets health spending law reform medical negligence medico-legal cases National Health Act national treasury Public Health Care SECTION27 South African Law Reform Commission