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#InTheSpotlight | Why government should provide more free HIV self-tests

#InTheSpotlight | Why government should provide more free HIV self-tests

By Catherine Tomlinson,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

It is estimated that around half a million people living with HIV in South Africa don’t know they are living with the virus. One way to help these people is by offering them the means to test themselves in the privacy of their own homes. As Catherine Tomlinson explains in this #InTheSpotlight special briefing, such self-screening tests are part of our HIV response on paper, but in reality, the tests are massively underutilised.

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#InTheSpotlight | Amid all the noise, how well is SA’s immunisation programme actually doing

#InTheSpotlight | Amid all the noise, how well is SA’s immunisation programme actually doing

By Elri Voigt,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight

Childhood immunisation programmes have saved many millions of lives and prevented much suffering. Yet, immunisation programmes have lost momentum over the last decade or so. In this #InTheSpotlight special briefing, Elri Voigt unpacks the available data and considers how immunisation efforts might be revitalised.

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#InTheSpotlight | TB’s tight grip: Why this curable disease is so hard to treat

#InTheSpotlight | TB’s tight grip: Why this curable disease is so hard to treat

By Elri Voigt,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Spotlight, TB, TB

TB can be cured, but ridding the body of the bug often takes many months and usually requires taking four or more different medicines. In this Spotlight special briefing, Elri Voigt zooms in on what makes the TB bacterium so hard to beat.

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#InTheSpotlight | Graphs that paint the picture of HIV in SA

#InTheSpotlight | Graphs that paint the picture of HIV in SA

By Marcus Low,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

Eight million people living with HIV. Just over 6 million on treatment. Behind these big numbers lurk a universe of fascinating epidemiological dynamics. In this special briefing, Spotlight editor Marcus Low unpacks what we know about the state of HIV in South Africa.

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#InTheSpotlight | SA has started a TB revolution – can we see it through?

#InTheSpotlight | SA has started a TB revolution – can we see it through?

By Marcus Low,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight, TB

Over the last decade, it has become clear that South Africa’s progress against TB depends on diagnosing more people more quickly. In this Spotlight special briefing, Marcus Low asks how we can best go about it.

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#InTheSpotlight | Where are we in the search for an HIV cure?

#InTheSpotlight | Where are we in the search for an HIV cure?

By Elri Voigt,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

Highly effective treatments for HIV have existed since the mid-1990s. But while these treatments keep people healthy, we do not yet have a safe and scalable way to completely rid the body of the virus. In this Spotlight special briefing, Elri Voigt takes stock of where we are in the decades-long search for an HIV cure.

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#InTheSpotlight | How will NHI unfold? Here are three possible scenarios

#InTheSpotlight | How will NHI unfold? Here are three possible scenarios

By Jesse Copelyn,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, NHI, Special Investigations, Spotlight

As health department officials move to set up National Health Insurance’s basic structures, including its board, several experts say the scheme remains a pipe-dream, doomed to the same fate as Gauteng’s aborted e-tolls project. In this Spotlight special briefing, Jesse Copelyn outlines three possible scenarios for how NHI might pan out over the coming years.

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#InTheSpotlight | Beyond the hype, what might AI actually mean for healthcare in SA?

#InTheSpotlight | Beyond the hype, what might AI actually mean for healthcare in SA?

By Jesse Copelyn,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight, TB

With varying degrees of success, artificial intelligence has begun to play the role of research assistant, radiologist, health educator, and even therapist. In this Spotlight special briefing, Jesse Copelyn tries to see past the hype and pin-points the most immediate implications of these new technologies for healthcare in South Africa.

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#InTheSpotlight | Poorly controlled diabetes is a top killer, time to take it more seriously

#InTheSpotlight | Poorly controlled diabetes is a top killer, time to take it more seriously

By Catherine Tomlinson,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

The South African government has adopted a national target to bring the blood sugar levels of people with diabetes under control. But beyond the target, the country’s response to diabetes is falling far short. In this Spotlight special briefing, Catherine Tomlinson looks at what the country needs to do to better manage this often fatal disease and how we can draw lessons from the response to HIV.

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#InTheSpotlight | HIV prevention injections exist, but hardly anyone can get them

#InTheSpotlight | HIV prevention injections exist, but hardly anyone can get them

By Catherine Tomlinson,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Healthcare system, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

HIV prevention injections have been registered for use in South Africa, but their high price and limited supply means that for the next few years, while awaiting more affordable generics, very few people will be able to get the jabs. In this Spotlight special briefing, Catherine Tomlinson looks at the difficult choices facing the country if we want to offer the injection to more people more quickly. The calls we make could have global implications.

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#InTheSpotlight | Diabetes is a leading killer in SA – yet we don’t know who has it or where they are

#InTheSpotlight | Diabetes is a leading killer in SA – yet we don’t know who has it or where they are

By Catherine Tomlinson,
Posted in: #InTheSpotlight, Access to Medicines, Focus, Healthcare system, InFocus, Latest, Special Investigations, Spotlight

Diabetes is the second leading cause of death in South Africa after tuberculosis, according to Statistics South Africa. It is the leading cause of death in women. Yet, despite being a major driver of deaths and illness, we do not have a clear picture of how many people in the country have diabetes or how many people are receiving diabetes care. This leaves our health system ill-equipped to handle the growing diabetes crisis.

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