Head of Free State health department not suspended despite being charged

Posted in: Free State, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces

It is business as usual at the Free State Department of Health with the acting Head of the Department Godfrey Mahlatsi back at work after he was released on R5 000 bail on 11 February. Mahlatsi is accused of contravening the Public Finance Management Act, while some of his co-accused face charges ranging from corruption and fraud to money laundering. The alleged fraud and corruption led to an R8.7 million loss to the department. Refilwe Mochoari reports.

Head of Free State health department not suspended despite being charged

In-depth: How a Cape Town company made an mRNA vaccine and what happens next

Posted in: Spotlight

In January, Cape Town-based biotechnology company Afrigen Biologics announced that it has successfully produced a lab-scale batch of a mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 that is similar to that made by pharmaceutical company Moderna. Catherine Tomlinson takes an in-depth look at how Afrigen managed to reach this point and what further challenges have to be overcome before mRNA vaccines can be produced at scale in South Africa

In-depth: How a Cape Town company made an mRNA vaccine and what happens next

OPEN LETTER: It takes more than a march to remedy systemic challenges to abortion access

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

On 17 February, Deputy Health Minister Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo led a march against unsafe abortions in Rustenburg, North West, but a march alone cannot eliminate barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing safe abortions in the public health system. Much more is needed, argue Sibusiwe Ndlela, Khanyisa Mapipa and Thokozile Mtsolongo in an open letter.

OPEN LETTER: It takes more than a march to remedy systemic challenges to abortion access

More focus needed on ageing with HIV

Posted in: HIV/AIDS, Latest

HIV and ageing were one of the hot topics at the recently held Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Elri Voigt reports.

Programme delivers comprehensive HIV prevention and SRH services to learners

Posted in: Child health, Edition 6: HIV & teens, Edition 9: State of HIV, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Reproductive Health, SRHR

Even though the rate of new HIV infections in young women and adolescent girls remains stubbornly high, provision and uptake of pills that can prevent HIV infection have generally been slow and lagging. One potential solution presented at the recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections is to provide the pills at schools. Tiyese Jeranji reports.

Programme delivers comprehensive HIV prevention and SRH services to learners

Prioritise HIV prevention injection, activists say

Posted in: Spotlight

An HIV prevention injection taken every two months was recently approved in the United States. Several HIV activists interviewed by Thabo Molelekwa say that access to the injection should be prioritised in South Africa and that we need to do a better job in rolling out the injection than we did with the rollout of prevention pills.

Prioritise HIV prevention injection, activists say

Good and bad news about new TB vaccines

Posted in: Edition 10: Drug-resistant TB, Edition 7: TB, Healthcare system, Latest, TB

While there are nine experimental tuberculosis (TB) vaccines in advanced trials, the vaccine pipeline beyond those nine prospects is relatively depleted. Adele Baleta reports on this and much more from the virtual Global TB Vaccine Forum held last week.

OPINION: Despite some positives, budget is not up to our health challenges

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Healthcare system, Healthcare Workers, Latest

As we transition towards a different strategy in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic and look to build up better, there was an expectation that the budget tabled this week, would provide insight into the government’s response and strategy to address the gaps left by COVID. Russel Rensburg looks at some of the budget’s hits and misses as it relates to healthcare.

OPINION: Despite some positives, budget is not up to our health challenges

NHI lawmakers: Face to Face with DA MP Michele Clarke

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest, NHI

Michele Clarke recently took over the reins from Siviwe Gwarube as the Democratic Alliance’s health spokesperson and is no stranger to the hotbed of parliamentary politics. Bienne Huisman sat down with her to discuss taking up her new role amid ongoing deliberations on the NHI Bill in Parliament.

NHI lawmakers: Face to Face with DA MP Michele Clarke

Health in the Eastern Cape: New plans to get chronic medicines to people in rural areas

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

On a scorching summer day, Siyabonga Kamnqa sat down to listen to the stories of some frustrated gogos and mkhulus waiting to collect their chronic medicines at the busy All Saints Hospital in the rural town of Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape. He then asked the province’s health department about its plans for getting medicines to people in rural areas.

Health in the Eastern Cape: New plans to get chronic medicines to people in rural areas

Start planning HIV prevention injection rollout, experts say

Posted in: Spotlight

There is no time to waste in planning the South African rollout of cabotegravir (CAB LA), the long-lasting antiretroviral injection approved for use in the United States in December 2021, say local health experts.

Start planning HIV prevention injection rollout, experts say

Analysis: What does a security guard strike reveal about the Eastern Cape Department of Health?

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

Security guards at healthcare facilities in Nelson Mandela Bay went on strike in January when their salaries had not been paid. During the strike, healthcare workers had to close some clinics as they feared for their safety, and patients were left stranded. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports on what happened and asked the health authorities what plans are in place to prevent similar incidents amid persistent budget constraints.