Analysis: Making access to surgical care a reality in district hospitals

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, 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.

Analysis: Making access to surgical care a reality in district hospitals

OPINION: Clinical associates can transform healthcare in SA, we should support them

Posted in: Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest

South Africa is among the most unequal countries in the world with a huge quadruple burden of disease and to address this we need hands. Professor Parimalaranie Yogeswaran argues that we should maximise the untapped potential of clinical associates to beef up the clinical health workforce.

OPINION: Clinical associates can transform healthcare in SA, we should support them

Analysis: What will a new turnaround plan mean for Kimberley Hospital?

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, Northern Cape, Provinces

Northern Cape Health MEC Marupeng Lekwene and the CEO of the Robert Sobukwe Hospital in Kimberley recently launched a turnaround plan to address a litany of challenges at the province’s only tertiary hospital. Refilwe Mochoari and Alicestine October combed through departmental reports and speeches and spoke to several health stakeholders to assess the new plan.

Analysis: What will a new turnaround plan mean for Kimberley Hospital?

In-depth: What to do about SA’s chronic surgical delays

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest

Based on figures from the national Department of Health over 107 000 non-emergency or elective surgeries were put on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. But challenges in addressing surgical backlogs were there before COVID-19. Alicestine October asked some local experts how surgical care can be better coordinated in South Africa.

In-depth: What to do about SA’s chronic surgical delays

Report finds some improvement at Mpumalanga clinics, but serious challenges remain

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Mpumalanga, Provinces

The community-led clinic monitoring project, Ritshidze last week, released its follow-up report on the state of (primary) healthcare in Mpumalanga. There were some improvements, but patients are still waiting over four hours to be seen at some clinics. Nthusang Lefafa unpacks some of the report’s findings and asked the health department about its plans to address these shortcomings.

Report finds some improvement at Mpumalanga clinics, but serious challenges remain

North West: Long distances, medicines stockouts, and Mediosa busses gathering dust

Posted in: Spotlight

Hours waiting for emergency medical services, medicine shortages, high travel costs, and long walking distances to clinics. These are some of the issues rural communities in the North West face when trying to access healthcare services. Meanwhile, expensive mobile clinics purchased from the Gupta-linked Mediosa are gathering dust. Nthusang Lefafa spoke to community members in some of these rural communities and the provincial health authorities.

North West: Long distances, medicines stockouts, and Mediosa busses gathering dust

Opinion: District hospitals will be key to NHI, empower them

Posted in: Latest, NHI

The successful implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) will rely heavily on effective governance at district level. The NHI Bill correctly identifies district hospitals as key during the early transitional NHI phases. Failing to capacitate them for the challenges ahead could prove disastrous, argues Russell Rensburg and Claire Botha.

Opinion: District hospitals will be key to NHI, empower them

In-depth: This is how health departments (mis)spend public funds

Posted in: Latest

The recently released audit outcomes for the 2019/2020 financial year paints a grim picture of wastage and mismanagement of public funds in provincial health departments. Spotlight Deputy Editor Alicestine October unpacks and examines the Auditor General’s findings.

In-depth: This is how health departments (mis)spend public funds

Hope in the Eastern Cape: A doctor reflects on the turnaround at Madwaleni Hospital

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Latest, Provinces

At Madwaleni Hospital in the rural Eastern Cape, vaccinations of health workers were set to start this week. However, steering this rural hospital to this point through a global pandemic, had its challenges. Bienne Huisman spoke to one doctor about how they made it through the first and second waves of the pandemic.

Hope in the Eastern Cape: A doctor reflects on the turnaround at Madwaleni Hospital

Opinion: President Ramaphosa, we still don’t have ambulances in Xhora Mouth

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Latest, Provinces

Six years after the South African Human Rights Commission held hearings into access to emergency medical services in the Eastern Cape little has changed for the people of Xhora Mouth, writes Phumzile Msaro.

Opinion: President Ramaphosa, we still don’t have ambulances in Xhora Mouth

Reimagining health in the Eastern Cape: A dysfunctional public health system is not inevitable

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

The persistent challenges in public health in the Eastern Cape, highlight the critical role of leadership. Prof Helen Schneider argues if we are to reimagine a future of access, equity and justice in health and health care in the Eastern Cape, we need bottom-up institution-building involving civil society and not just top-down legislative, budgetary and other reforms.

Reimagining health in the Eastern Cape: A dysfunctional public health system is not inevitable

Dire conditions at Mthatha General and Nessie Knight hospitals

Posted in: Eastern Cape, Edition 13: Eastern Cape Health, Healthcare system, Latest, NHI, Provinces

The dire state of health infrastructure and services in the Eastern Cape has made headlines during the COVID-19 pandemic and triggered promises of government intervention, but in some hospitals those providing and receiving healthcare note little to no improvement. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports.