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Pilot programme improving access to mental health services for kids in Khayelitsha

Pilot programme improving access to mental health services for kids in Khayelitsha

By Tiyese Jeranji,
Posted in: Child health, Healthcare system, Latest, Mental Health, Provinces

Earlier this year, the annual Child Gauge indicated that child and adolescent mental health services in South Africa are in crisis – mostly due to inadequate resources. How to best provide such services within the constraints of our public healthcare system is an open question. Tiyese Jeranji visited the Michael Mapongwane Community Health Centre in Khayelitsha where a pilot project aimed at improving kids’ access to mental health services is showing encouraging results.

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Some in Free State only given ARVs for two weeks at a time

Some in Free State only given ARVs for two weeks at a time

By Refilwe Mochoari,
Posted in: Free State, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Provinces

While the Free State health department is denying that clinics in the province are experiencing stockouts of antiretroviral medicines, some healthcare users and HIV activists working in communities claim otherwise. The department does however acknowledge that some people are given only a two-week supply at a time. Refilwe Mochoari reports.

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KwaZulu-Natal doing well compared to other provinces but some health services still a challenge

KwaZulu-Natal doing well compared to other provinces but some health services still a challenge

By Nthusang Lefafa,
Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Provinces, Sex Work

KwaZulu-Natal clinics are outperforming facilities monitored in other provinces on various indicators and health services in the province have improved year-on-year, but some marginalised groups continue to have a hard time accessing healthcare services. This is according to the latest provincial report from community-led monitoring project Ritshidze. Nthusang Lefafa spoke to several NGOs about the findings and asked the province’s health department for their response.

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Opinion: Mental health screening for people with TB will change lives and boost SA’s TB response

Opinion: Mental health screening for people with TB will change lives and boost SA’s TB response

By Amanda Fononda,
Posted in: COVID-19, Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Healthcare system, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Mental Health, Provinces, TB

According to some estimates, over a third of tuberculosis (TB) patients have high levels of psychological distress and a quarter have an alcohol use disorder. Following an eye-opening project in KwaZulu-Natal, Atlantic Institute Tekano Fellow Amanda Fononda argues that a diagnosis of an illness (such as TB) should be accompanied by mental health screening for treatment readiness, adherence, and overall well-being.

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Decaying infrastructure at Tambo Hospital still putting patients and health workers at risk

Decaying infrastructure at Tambo Hospital still putting patients and health workers at risk

By Thabo Molelekwa,
Posted in: Gauteng, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, NHI, Provinces

Although the Tambo Memorial Hospital in Boksburg, Gauteng in 2017 had been declared unfit for human habitation” and “an occupational hazard, patients and healthcare workers are continuing to receive and provide health services under unusually difficult conditions. Some say they fear for their lives. Thabo Molelekwa visited the hospital and spoke to some healthcare workers and patients about conditions at the hospital and asked the provincial health department about plans to address the concerns.

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Breathing easier: How Madwaleni Hospital started producing its own oxygen

Breathing easier: How Madwaleni Hospital started producing its own oxygen

By Luvuyo Mehlwana,
Posted in: COVID-19, Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

During the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, oxygen was a lifesaving consumable, but in many remote rural areas of the Eastern Cape, logistical challenges such as poor roads and long distances made distribution difficult. A group of doctors and engineers, however, developed a sustainable lifeline in the form of an oxygen generator at Madwaleni Hospital. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports.

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Construction and maintenance delays plague ‘ideal hospital’ in Kroonstad

Construction and maintenance delays plague ‘ideal hospital’ in Kroonstad

By Refilwe Mochoari,
Posted in: COVID-19, Free State, Healthcare system, Latest, NHI, Provinces

Some healthcare services at Boitumelo Regional Hospital in Kroonstad are hamstrung by construction delays, poor maintenance, and water shortages – despite the hospital being classified as one of the Free State’s ‘ideal hospitals’. Refilwe Mochoari investigates.

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Analysis: Making access to surgical care a reality in district hospitals

Analysis: Making access to surgical care a reality in district hospitals

By Alicestine October,
Posted in: Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, Northern Cape, Provinces

Earlier this year, Spotlight published a two-part series on the human cost of surgery waiting times and asked what could be done about it. One such solution proposed by some is to devolve less complicated surgical care procedures to district hospitals. The AfroSurg3 Conference held in September, which brought together surgical stakeholders from 11 African countries to improve access to care, shed some light on how this might work. Alicestine October reports.

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In the hot seat: New Gauteng Health MEC responds to 10 questions from Spotlight

In the hot seat: New Gauteng Health MEC responds to 10 questions from Spotlight

By Spotlight Editors,
Posted in: Gauteng, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, Provinces

The position of MEC for Health in Gauteng is one of the most important, and probably one of the toughest jobs in public sector health governance in South Africa. Spotlight sent ten questions to the new Gauteng MEC for Health Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko. Here are her answers.

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Staff attitudes at Eastern Cape clinics still a problem, report finds

Staff attitudes at Eastern Cape clinics still a problem, report finds

By Luvuyo Mehlwana,
Posted in: Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, Provinces

Staff attitudes and patients complaining of being treated badly by healthcare workers at some clinics in the Eastern Cape were among the issues flagged in the latest report by community-led clinic monitoring group Ritshidze. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports.

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Cancer surgeon resigns and volunteers withdraw from Helen Joseph Hospital

Cancer surgeon resigns and volunteers withdraw from Helen Joseph Hospital

By Ufrieda Ho,
Posted in: Gauteng, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

The resignation of renowned breast cancer specialist surgeon Professor Carol-Ann Benn from the Helen Joseph Hospital has fuelled concerns about the loss of expertise for the public health sector amid existing pressures on cancer services in Gauteng. Ufrieda Ho spoke to health authorities, patients, and breast clinic volunteers about the potential impact on cancer care at the hospital.

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Editorial: Can health be fixed without fixing politics?

Editorial: Can health be fixed without fixing politics?

By Marcus Low,
Posted in: Editorial, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

Several provincial health departments have stumbled from crisis to crisis over the last decade with no sign of sustained or meaningful improvement. One reason for this, argues Spotlight editor Marcus Low, is political interference and the cadre deployment and cronyism that usually goes with it. If this is correct, is it realistic to think we can address the dysfunction in our health departments without addressing the politics behind it?

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