AIDS2018: Humans in the Age of HIV-Carmen is impossible to miss
By Nomatter Ndebele Carmen is impossible to miss. She comes sauntering down the road with her luscious black locks bouncing gently behind her, as she moves closer she casually drops…
North West doctors release open letter calling for end to closure of health services
Over 70 North West doctors have released an open letter expressing their concern over the impact the ongoing labour action is having on the delivery of health services.
New SANAC CEO responds to questions about his past
Dr Sandile Buthelezi was recently appointed as the new head (CEO) of the South African National AIDS Council. His appointment follows the suspicious non-renewal of the previous CEO’s contract Dr Fareed Abdullah and unsuccessful attempts to lure Eastern Cape head of health Dr Thobile Mbengashe to the post.
TAC congress elects new leaders, sets priorities
The Treatment Action Campaign’s (TAC) 6th National Congress held in Sterkfontein, Gauteng concluded today with the re-election of Anele Yawa as General Secretary and the election of Sibongile Tshabalala as Chairperson.
Mental health and pill-taking: Getting beyond HIV
“A few weeks ago we lost Prudence Mbele, a beloved long-time activist living openly with HIV, who died of TB. Prudence was famous for her ‘pill holidays’ – a big no-no in HIV-land, as it leads to further immune damage. The idea of someone stopping their life-saving tablets – even temporarily – boggles the minds of most health providers. Her death triggered an intense media and Facebook/Twitter reaction, filled both with criticism at her choices as well as empathy, as people shared their own hard stories about taking antiretrovirals. Professor Francois Venter writes for Spotlight about the difficulties of taking pills for the rest of your life and dealing with the mental health issues relating to illness.
Opinion: Will we get the NSP right this time?
By Marcus Low, Spotlight Editor – At the end of this year South Africa’s big plan to fight HIV and tuberculosis (TB) comes to an end. The National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV, TB and STIs 2012-2016 will be replaced by the 2017-2021 NSP. It is vital that the new NSP avoids the mistakes of the past and fully incorporates new scientific evidence.
Opinion: Dear Deputy President Ramaphosa
This open letter from Mark Heywood appeared on Spotlight’s website and in the Daily Maverick at the end of August. While we are three months further down the line, the issues highlighted by Mark are still relevant and important to take note of as the new plan for HIV and TB is crafted. We welcome responses to this, please write to the Editor and let’s talk!
Editorial: The new hiv & TB plan – Three months to get it right
Delays at the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) has meant that the new NSP (National Strategic Plan) will now only be ready in March 2017.
No Need to Embellish our Achievements or to Diminish our Challenges when it comes to HIV
By Fareed Abdullah When I joined government in 1994 there was not only an openness to dissenting opinions; it was encouraged. When we met, month after month, as the Health…
The madness and evil of Manto and Thabo meets the madness and evil of Bathabile and Jacob
By Anso Thom
Having reported with many journalist colleagues on the darkest days on former President Thabo Mbeki and his health minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang’s distressing, fatal and quite mad HIV-denialism, the latest saga around social grants did bring back a sense of déjà vu.
Measuring up to the task of tackling HIV and TB in the new NSP
As the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) nears completion of the next National Strategic Plan (NSP) on HIV, TB, and STIs (2017-2022), lofty ambitions for positive outcomes are in place. However, what provinces and districts are expected to measure in order to track implementation and incremental steps toward these goals is—at this point—completely absent from the NSP.
The Achilles Heel of the new NSP: Accountability and Equity
As we move towards the release of South Africa’s latest National Strategic Plan for HIV/AIDS, TB and STI’s it is important to celebrate the successes achieved since the end of AIDS denialism and the introduction of a revitalised AIDS response in 2006.