In-depth: What is the situation with self-managed abortions in SA?

Posted in: Latest

While abortion in South Africa is legal and free in public healthcare facilities, it is thought that a large percentage of abortions are performed by illegal providers. This is attributed to a variety of factors, ranging from lack of capacity at clinics to fear of being found out and stigma. Self-managed abortions have the potential to change this. Amy Green reports on the state of abortion in South Africa and how self-managed abortions could help increase access to legal abortions.

In-depth: SA pharmacists will soon be able to prescribe HIV treatment

Posted in: HIV, Latest

In what Spotlight understands to be a world-first, South Africa is on the brink of allowing pharmacists with the required permits to prescribe HIV medicines without people first having to get a script from a doctor or nurse. Catherine Tomlinson investigates how it will work and why it may be just the boost the country’s HIV response needs.

Health and Unrest: Counting the cost and getting people their medicines

Posted in: COVID-19, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Provinces

As the country is still calculating the tally of the vaccine stock and medicines stolen in last week’s unrest in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng, there is still a lot of uncertainty about plans to restore medicine security.