In-depth: Dirty laundry at Eastern Cape hospitals and the plan to deal with it

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, Latest, NHI, Provinces

Some staff members at Livingstone Hospital in the Eastern Cape say old laundry machines and staff shortages are creating backlogs in getting clean linen, towels, and hospital gowns to patients. Patients, in turn, say they have to sleep on bare and soiled mattresses often with no bedding or dirty linen. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports on the situation, its implications for infection control, and the province’s plans to deal with it.

In-depth: Dirty laundry at Eastern Cape hospitals and the plan to deal with it

In Focus: Unpacking the link between HIV and mental health

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest

Studies show that people living with HIV are often at a higher risk for depression and anxiety, including a higher risk of suicide. Tiyese Jeranji spoke to mental health practitioners, activists, and people living with HIV to unpack the link between HIV and mental health.

In Focus: Unpacking the link between HIV and mental health

In-depth: How are depression and bipolar disorder treated in the public sector?

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, Mental Health

It is estimated that “one in ten adults living in South Africa will have experienced major clinical depression at some point in their life but only 25% have sought treatment and care for their mental conditions, such as depression”. Although these estimates are based on the South African Stress and Health (SASH) study, last done in 2009, subsequent studies have stressed the significant challenge of reducing this treatment gap in the country. Elri Voigt asks how conditions like major depression and bipolar disorder are diagnosed and treated in the public sector in South Africa.

In-depth: How are depression and bipolar disorder treated in the public sector?

Opinion: Quality Tuberculosis care starts with people

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, TB

The world is seeing tuberculosis (TB) deaths increase for the first time in over a decade. To turn things around and to put an end to TB being a leading infectious disease killer globally, we need to make sure the voices of people affected by TB are at the core of developing person-centered, quality TB care, free from stigma and discrimination, argue a group of TB experts and activists.

Opinion: Quality Tuberculosis care starts with people

Opinion: WHO numbers underscore urgent need for stronger leadership and ambitious TB recovery plan

Posted in: COVID-19, Edition 12: SA’s AIDS & TB response, Edition 14: Tuberculosis, Edition 7: TB, Latest, TB

According to new estimates from the World Health Organization around 61 000 people died of TB in South Africa in 2020, an increase of around 5% over 2019. That works out to over 1 100 TB deaths in the country every week. We urgently need a transparent TB recovery plan and we need both President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Joe Phaahla to invest real political capital in the implementation of the plan, the authors argue.

Opinion: WHO numbers underscore urgent need for stronger leadership and ambitious TB recovery plan

In-depth: Does SA have a diabetes testing problem?

Posted in: COVID-19, Healthcare system, Latest

Though the numbers are relatively uncertain, it is estimated that between four and five million people in South Africa are living with diabetes. One reason for the uncertainty is a lack of testing. A lack of testing also means that many people get diagnosed too late in the course of the disease. Elri Voigt asks what we do and do not know about diabetes in the country and what should be done about it.

In-depth: Does SA have a diabetes testing problem?

In-depth: Landmark moment as AI beats humans in reading X-rays for TB

Posted in: Latest, TB

“The results are in: artificial intelligence (AI) outperforms humans at reading chest X-rays for signs of tuberculosis,” proclaimed a recent newsletter of the Stop TB Partnership. Tiyese Jeranji spoke to a variety of experts about the landmark study behind this proclamation and asked what AI-aided X-ray interpretation may mean for countries like South Africa with high TB burdens.

In-depth: Landmark moment as AI beats humans in reading X-rays for TB

Mental Health: Grief, loss – we are all traumatised, says psychiatrist on the COVID-19 frontlines

Posted in: COVID-19, Healthcare system, Latest

Working with Groote Schuur Hospital’s frontline COVID team, Psychiatry Professor Jackie Hoare help manage the mental health of patients admitted with severe COVID pneumonia and also the mental health needs of fellow healthcare workers. Bienne Huisman caught up with her to talk about providing counselling at the bedside of COVID patients and how we deal with the complexities of grief in a time of COVID-19.

Mental Health: Grief, loss – we are all traumatised, says psychiatrist on the COVID-19 frontlines

In-depth: SA’s mental health policy has lapsed, what happens next?

Posted in: Spotlight

Once widely hailed, South Africa’s Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2013 – 2020 lapsed last year, with mixed reviews on its implementation from mental healthcare stakeholders. The National Department of Health now says the revised and updated Policy Framework and Plan will be in place in the next financial year. Tiyese Jeranji spoke to experts and activists about what the lapsed policy framework achieved and what to improve.

In-depth: SA’s mental health policy has lapsed, what happens next?

Opinion: The over-criminalisation of HIV transmission does more harm than good

Posted in: HIV/AIDS, Latest

Although it is necessary for the criminal justice system to prohibit and punish conduct that is harmful to the public interest, criminalising exposure to or transmission of HIV goes against important public health principles, writes Sibusisiwe Ndlela.

Opinion: The over-criminalisation of HIV transmission does more harm than good

Ageing nurses: A crisis on the horizon

Posted in: Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest

Nurses make up a large part of the healthcare workforce in South Africa, but almost half of them are set to retire in the next 15 years. This suggests existing shortages of nurses will become even greater unless we take concrete steps to boost nurse training and retention. Elna Schütz reports.

LIFE ESIDIMENI INQUEST: A Recap on its progress and what to expect

Posted in: Latest, Mental Health

The ongoing judicial inquest into the deaths of mental healthcare users during the Life Esidimeni tragedy in 2016, has again been postponed this week. It is the fifth time the proceedings have been postponed since the inquest started in July this year, signalling that there is still a long road ahead for determining any criminal accountability for these deaths. Julia Chaskalson takes stock of the progress so far and what to expect in the months ahead.