Probing mysteries of the dead: Top forensic pathologist looks back as Cape Town gets shiny new mortuary

By Biénne Huisman, February 26, 2024

Posted in: InFocus, Latest, Spotlight, Western Cape

Mortuaries are grim places, yet Professor Lorna Martin – South Africa’s first woman to head a forensic medicine department – also visits mortuaries when she is on holiday. She was born in Newcastle in the United Kingdom and matriculated at a school in Boksburg on Gauteng’s East Rand. Martin, who has wispy hair and eyes with a glint of steel, spoke to Biénne Huisman about her career working on headline-catching cases and the nearly-R300 million Observatory Forensic Pathology Institute in Cape Town.

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Probing mysteries of the dead: Top forensic pathologist looks back as Cape Town gets shiny new mortuary

Orthopaedic surgery: What is behind SA’s long waiting lists?

By Tiyese Jeranji, September 15, 2023

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Free State, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, Provinces, Western Cape

As of last year, there were 3 449 people waiting on orthopaedic surgery in five of South Africa’s nine provinces. Waiting times in these five provinces ranged from two weeks to over five years. In the Eastern Cape, it can take up to ten years for people to get specific types of orthopaedic surgery. Tiyese Jeranji looks at the numbers and unpacks what it means for healthcare workers and people waiting for orthopaedic surgery.

Orthopaedic surgery: What is behind SA’s long waiting lists?

In-depth: Mental health needs of GBV survivors are not being met – what to do?

By Sue Segar, August 30, 2023

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, Mental Health, Provinces, Western Cape

Survivors of sexual assault and gender-based violence (GBV) often require mental healthcare services to deal with the psychological trauma, but these services are often not available in already overburdened shelters and safe houses where resources are limited. Sue Segar visited some shelters and spoke to experts about this unmet need for women and children.

Tags: access to mental health services community-based mental health services featured GBV GBV survivors gender based violence Lisa Vetten medicine stockouts NACOSA National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide psychiatrists psycho-social support psychologists rape survivors Saartjie Baartman Centre Valkenberg Hospital Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness

In-depth: Mental health needs of GBV survivors are not being met – what to do?

Women in health: “No one taught me how to treat a sick system,” says leading young Professor

By Biénne Huisman, August 11, 2023

Posted in: Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

In high school, a guidance councillor told Salome Maswime that she would never be accepted at medical school. Today, she is a professor and head of Global Surgery at the University of Cape Town. Biénne Huisman chatted to Maswime about her work on safe surgery, her remarkable career, and being the only black woman in the room.

Tags: Centre for Global Surgery Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at UCT featured Global Surgery Groote Schuur Hospital Obstetrics and Gynaecology Prof Salome Maswime Science Oscars surgery UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Women in Health

Women in health: “No one taught me how to treat a sick system,” says leading young Professor

Groote Schuur Hospital clears backlog of 1 500 surgeries

By Elri Voigt, May 26, 2023

Posted in: COVID-19, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

Much of South Africa’s public health sector is plagued by long waiting times for surgery, a situation that was made much worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, an inspiring project at Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town has reached its target of slashing its backlog by 1 500 surgeries. Elri Voigt reports.

Tags: COVID-19 elective surgery featured Gift of the Givers Groote Schuur Hospital health budgets healthcare workers ICU nurses Lydia Cairncross nurses post-operative care Public Health public hospitals surgeries surgery backlogs surgical care Surgical Recovery Project Western Cape Department of Health

Groote Schuur Hospital clears backlog of 1 500 surgeries

Spotlight on Nehawu strike: Dispatches from the frontlines

By Spotlight, March 14, 2023

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

Following a Labour Appeal Court judgement on Monday, health minister Dr Joe Phaahla during a media briefing on Monday night said the department has given essential health workers until Tuesday morning to report for work. Should they fail to do this, “they will be making themselves liable to charges of misconduct”. Spotlight reporters have been visiting healthcare facilities to assess the situation.

Tags: Dr Joe Phaahla featured healthcare workers Helen Joseph Hospital hospital security Khayelitsha District Hospital Motherwell CHC Nehawu Pelonomi Hospital public health facilities Public Healthcare public sector patients public sector strike SANDF strike

Spotlight on Nehawu strike: Dispatches from the frontlines

In-depth: Why only some public sector patients can access a key breast cancer drug

By Elri Voigt, September 22, 2022

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

A potentially life-saving or life-extending breast cancer medicine is available to public sector patients in several of South Africa’s provinces, but not in the Western Cape. Elri Voigt asks what is behind the Western Cape government’s decision.

Tags: access to medicine Access to Medicine Campaign breast cancer Cancer Alliance cancer treatment chemotherapy Competition Commission Department of Health Dischem Essential Medicines List featured HER2+ breast cancer Herceptin Herclon Medical Oncology medicine procurement PMB List SAHPRA School of Clinical Medicine South African Health Products Regulatory Authority trastuzumab Western Cape Department of Health women's health

In-depth: Why only some public sector patients can access a key breast cancer drug

Women in Health: Lydia Cairncross, the straight-talker at the helm of Groote Schuur’s surgery recovery project

By Tiyese Jeranji, September 5, 2022

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, Western Cape

Head of general surgery at Groote Schuur Hospital, Professor Lydia Cairncross is a sharp thinker and straight talker. Whether it is on issues of equity and social justice or on how to strengthen quality healthcare – Cairncross speaks her mind. Tiyese Jeranji spoke to her as part of Spotlight’s Women in Health series.

Tags: Access to Health COVID-19 featured Groote Schuur Hospital healthcare worker training healthcare workers human resources ICU nurses Lydia Cairncross Spotlight on Women in Health surgeons surgery waiting lists surgical care Women in Health

Women in Health: Lydia Cairncross, the straight-talker at the helm of Groote Schuur’s surgery recovery project

Healthcare security challenges in the Western Cape

By Tiyese Jeranji, May 3, 2022

Posted in: Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

When healthcare workers or patients walk into healthcare facilities, the last thing on their minds should be whether they might be robbed or assaulted. Unfortunately, the safety of healthcare workers and patients has been compromised in some areas. Tiyese Jeranji reports on safety and security at health facilities and in communities where emergency medical services are required in the Western Cape.

Tags: CCTV cameras City of Cape Town Denosa Emergency Medical Service EMS featured health and safety healthcare worker shortages healthcare workers Public Health public health facilities safety of healthcare workers security at health facilities security contracts security guards security services Western Cape Department of Health

Healthcare security challenges in the Western Cape

Promising early signs from mobile X-ray TB screening pilots

By Tiyese Jeranji, April 21, 2022

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

One of the key recommendations from the National TB Prevalence Survey released last year was to increase “access to TB screening and testing services through outreach programmes using mobile testing and X-ray facilities”. Tiyese Jeranji takes stock of the number of mobile X-ray vans and containers across the country and plans to scale up their use.

Tags: asymptomatic TB chest X-ray screening DCXR digital chest X-rays Eastern Cape featured Gauteng KwaZulu-Natal Mobile X-ray containers Mobile X-ray units National Mobile X-ray project National TB Prevalence Survey TB screening TB screening strategies Western Cape

Promising early signs from mobile X-ray TB screening pilots

Ten years later: Reflecting on the successes and challenges at Khayelitsha Hospital

By Tiyese Jeranji, April 4, 2022

Posted in: Access to Medicines, COVID-19, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, InFocus, Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

This month, the Khayelitsha District Hospital will celebrate ten years since it opened its doors. Tiyese Jeranji visited the hospital and spoke to the CEO, some staff members, patients, and health stakeholders about the services the hospital provides, its successes and continuing challenges.

Tags: bed capacity David Binza EMS featured health budgets health resources healthcare infrastructure healthcare users healthcare workers healthcare workers shortages healthworker safety Khayelitsha District Hospital Khayelitsha Health Forum metro health services nurses psychiatry public health facilities surgery backlogs TAC Treatment Action Campaign Western Cape Department of Health Western Cape Provincial Parliament

Ten years later: Reflecting on the successes and challenges at Khayelitsha Hospital

COVID-19: How vaccination numbers compare in SA’s provinces

By Elri Voigt, July 19, 2021

Posted in: COVID-19, Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, North West, Northern Cape, Provinces, Western Cape

Over five million people in South Africa have so far received at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. Elri Voigt unpacks how the vaccination rollout is going in South Africa’s nine provinces. Though the numbers do not tell the full story and provinces face different challenges, indications are that Limpopo, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal are doing well, while Mpumalanga is struggling.

Tags: covid third wave COVID vaccine COVID-19 EVDS featured mobile vaccination drive National Department of Health national vaccine rollout strategy vaccination dashboard vaccines