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

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

By Amanda Fononda,
Posted in: COVID-19, Healthcare system, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Opinions, Perspectives, 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, 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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‘Sr Fikx’ – the nurse activist unafraid to speak out against corruption

‘Sr Fikx’ – the nurse activist unafraid to speak out against corruption

By Biénne Huisman,
Posted in: Gauteng, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

Fiery nurse activist Fikile Dikolomela-Lengene says she has had a front-row seat to corruption unfolding in Gauteng’s public health sector and she is not afraid to speak out. Biénne Huisman chatted to Dikomela-Lengene, who calls herself ‘Sr Fikx’ because she wants to influence change in the public health sector.

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Making access to surgical care a reality in district hospitals

Making access to surgical care a reality in district hospitals

By Alicestine October,
Posted in: Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, 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, 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, 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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Patients bear brunt of worsening conditions at some Free State clinics, report shows

Patients bear brunt of worsening conditions at some Free State clinics, report shows

By Refilwe Mochoari,
Posted in: Free State, Healthcare system, HIV, Latest, Provinces

A recently published report by the community-led clinic monitoring project, Ritshidze shows that while there have been pockets of improvements at some clinics in the Free State, there are key issues on which facilities’ performance has worsened, especially for people living with HIV. Refilwe Mochoari unpacks the report’s findings zooming in on the situation at Bloemspruit Clinic in Mangaung.

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Healthcare in Mpumalanga hamstrung by ambulance shortages and other problems

Healthcare in Mpumalanga hamstrung by ambulance shortages and other problems

By Nthusang Lefafa,
Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, Mpumalanga, Provinces

Despite some interventions by Mpumalanga’s health department, a litany of challenges at Mpumalanga hospitals continue to hamstrung quality patient care in the province. Nthusang Lefafa explores these challenges and asked the health department what is being done to address them.

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