Under COVID-19 lockdowns in South Africa and elsewhere, many public services have been interrupted, including sexual and reproductive health services. Thuthukile Mbatha considers the heavy toll these interruptions have taken on people’s lives.
Clinic Committees can be a powerful link between the community and primary healthcare facilities. Several clinic committee members however say they have been side-lined in South Africa’s COVID-19 response. Tiyese Jeranji reports.
Over four months after the first COVID-19 cases were identified in the country the National Department of Health augmented its approach to contact tracing by adding a new digital component – COVIDConnect. Elri Voigt maps South Africa’s contact tracing efforts leading up to this moment.
In his illustrious career, Broadhurst (Broadness) Cona, learnt to fight hard on the rugby field and never gave up until the final whistle. It is this same spirit that Cona brought to another fight – surviving COVID-19 as a 73-year-old. Siyabonga Kamnqa paid Cona a visit.
Employees in South Africa are experiencing extremely high rates of psychological distress during the COVID-19 epidemic, researchers report.
The COVID-19 lockdown is taking a potentially deadly toll on children, with reported child hunger on the rise and unemployment at a high. Kathryn Cleary takes an in-depth look at what this means for young children and asks the experts about potential solutions.
Unhygienic conditions, as reported locally and internationally, at hospitals in Port Elizabeth prompted the Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, to make a site visit to Livingstone Hospital on Wednesday. These striking pictures show the situation at the hospital before and after the visit.
The healthcare system in the Eastern Cape has been on the brink of collapse for over a decade but the health department has failed to act, writes Nontsikelelo Mpulo.
Early enthusiasm about South Africa’s strong position to scale up COVID-19 testing due to existing investments in diagnostic infrastructure for HIV and TB waned after the country found itself unable to secure adequate test materials. Steps are now being taken to reduce the dependence on just a few suppliers for these materials. Catherine Tomlinson reports.
Recently the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority was criticised for not approving laboratory-based SARS-CoV-2 antibody tests. Spotlight Editor Marcus Low argues that despite the regulator’s capacity constraints, its flexible conservatism is something to be grateful for.
New data points to fears of contracting COVID-19 at congested health facilities as the primary reason for people not seeking needed care and defaulting on their chronic medication, including HIV treatment. Amy Green reports.
The reinstatement of the ban on the sale of alcohol may have come as a surprise to many, but evidence suggest that it will have a significant impact on trauma and hospital capacity in the coming weeks. Elna Schütz investigates.