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

By Zameer Brey, Marcus Low, Yogan Pillay and Ingrid Schoeman, October 20, 2021

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

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

Assessing Dr Zweli Mkhize’s two years as Health Minister

By Marcus Low, August 6, 2021

Posted in: COVID-19, Healthcare system, Latest

Last night President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Dr Zweli Mkhize had resigned as South Africa’s Minister of Health after eight weeks on special leave. Although Mkhize will primarily be remembered for the Digital Vibes scandal that caused his downfall, a lot more happened over the last two years. Spotlight editor Marcus Low asks what we can learn from Mkhize’s time as health minister and tries to make sense of some of the contradictions.

Tags: COVID-19 Department of Health Digital Vibes Dr Zweli Mkhize featured Joe Phaahla National Health Insurance NHI President Cyril Ramaphosa Sandile Buthelezi

Assessing Dr Zweli Mkhize’s two years as Health Minister

High hopes for deal to unlock local COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing

By Chris Bateman, June 25, 2021

Posted in: COVID-19, Latest

On Monday President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that South Africa will host the first World Health Organization-backed COVID-19 mRNA vaccine Technology Transfer Hub – an initiative designed to get the production of mRNA vaccines off the ground in Africa. Parties involved in the hub expect to hear as early as next week whether pharmaceutical companies with mRNA COVID-vaccines for COVID-19 on the market – Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech – will share their know-how with the hub. Chris Bateman reports for Spotlight.

Tags: African Centre for Disease Control African Union Afrigen Biovac COVID-19 COVID-19 vaccines featured intellectual property Medicines Patent Pool mRNA mRNA vaccines Pfizer/BioNtech President Cyril Ramaphosa the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative vaccine manufacturing vaccines variants World Health Organization WTO TRIPS waiver

High hopes for deal to unlock local COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing

Opinion: The President must rise above petty politics and appoint a Health Minister fit to fight our current crisis

By Marcus Low, June 24, 2021

Posted in: Blog

While the Digital Vibes scandal has no doubt presented President Cyril Ramaphosa with a massive headache, it has also presented him with an opportunity. In appointing a new Minister of Health, he can set South Africa’s COVID-19 response on a sounder footing. We should soon know whether this is an opportunity he is ready to take, writes Spotlight editor Marcus Low.

Tags: ANC Corruption in Health COVID-19 COVID-19 response COVID-19 vaccine programme Digital Vibes Dr Aaron Motsoaledi Dr Zweli Mkhize featured health leadership health ministers minister of health National Assembly Parliament Portfolio Committee on Health President Cyril Ramaphosa SIU Special Investigations Unit Tender corruption

Opinion: The President must rise above petty politics and appoint a Health Minister fit to fight our current crisis

In-depth: What will it take to actually make mRNA vaccines in SA

By Catherine Tomlinson, May 24, 2021

Posted in: COVID-19, Latest

Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, such as the COVID-19 vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech, have been hailed for their manufacturing advantages over conventional vaccines – so much so that African leaders such as President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for mRNA production capacity to be developed in Africa. Catherine Tomlinson examines why mRNA vaccines are easier to make than some other types of vaccines and asks what it will take to build such production capacity.

Tags: Africa CDC African Union African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative BioNtech/Pfizer biopharmaceuticals COVID vaccine COVID-19 featured local vaccine production Moderna mRNA mRNA vaccines Pfizer President Cyril Ramaphosa World Health Organization WTO TRIPS waiver

In-depth: What will it take to actually make mRNA vaccines in SA

Analysis: The politics and promise behind a proposed pandemic treaty

By Catherine Tomlinson, April 13, 2021

Posted in: Latest

25 heads of state, including South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, have called for the creation of an international pandemic treaty to strengthen global capacity to predict and respond to pandemic threats. But what should we make of this development, given that existing treaties have often been ignored during the COVID-19 crisis and recent efforts toward a research and development treaty for health products have floundered, asks Catherine Tomlinson.

Tags: COVID-19 COVID-19 impact Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus featured Fix the patent laws health technologies Innovation and Intellectual Property International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations International Health Regulations pandemic treaty Patent laws patents pharmaceutical industry President Cyril Ramaphosa research and development vaccine nationalism vaccines WHO Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health World Health Assembly World Health Organization World Health Organization Pandemic Treaty WTO TRIPS waiver

Analysis: The politics and promise behind a proposed pandemic treaty

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

By Phumzile Msaro, March 26, 2021

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.

Tags: Access to Health ambulances district health services Eastern Cape Eastern Cape Department of Health EMS featured President Cyril Ramaphosa public health facilities rural health SAHRC Xhora Mouth

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

Opinion: WTO waiver is important, but so is fixing SA’s outdated patent laws

By Julia Chaskalson, March 10, 2021

Posted in: Latest

The World Trade Organization TRIPS council is expected to vote on South Africa and India’s proposed patent waiver on 10 or 11 March which could, if granted, help countries to scale up production of COVID-19 vaccines. But, while the waiver is important, argues Julia Chaskalson, it is also urgent that South Africa should amend its outdated domestic patent laws.

Tags: access to medicine AstraZeneca Compulsory Licensing COVID vaccine COVID-19 DTIC featured Fix the patent laws Fix the Patent Laws Coalition (FTPL)intellectual property intellectual property policy phase 1 Patents Act pharmaceutical industry pharmaceuticals President Cyril Ramaphosa Serum Institute Voluntary licensing World Health Assembly WTO TRIPS waiver

Opinion: WTO waiver is important, but so is fixing SA’s outdated patent laws

COVID-19: Are foreign nationals being left behind?

By Luvuyo Mehlwana, March 9, 2021

Posted in: Latest

Some foreign nationals in South Africa, their community leaders, human rights lawyers and activists are concerned that their health needs are falling through the cracks. This was compounded during lockdown with some foreign nationals claiming they were refused healthcare and others now concerned they will be excluded from the vaccine rollout. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports.

Tags: Access to Health COVID vaccine COVID-19 Department of Health Department of Home Affairs Dr Zweli Mkhize featured Foreign Nationals Lawyers for Human Rights President Cyril Ramaphosa public health facilities SECTION27 Vaccine Rollout Strategy

COVID-19: Are foreign nationals being left behind?

Interview: From humble beginnings to vaccinating the President

By Biénne Huisman, March 8, 2021

Posted in: Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

On 17 February Sr Milanie Bennett administered the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to President Cyril Ramaphosa. Bienne Huisman tracked her down to learn more about her long journey to this historical moment.

Tags: COVID vaccine COVID-19 Department of Health Dr Zweli Mkhize featured frontline staff healthcare workers Johnson and Johnson Khayelitsha District Hospital nursing nursing education nursing training President Cyril Ramaphosa South African Nursing Council

Interview: From humble beginnings to vaccinating the President

COVID-19: Western Cape and Gauteng prepare for the peak

By Kathryn Cleary, July 14, 2020

Posted in: Gauteng, Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

President Cyril Ramaphosa has called the COVID-19 pandemic the gravest crisis in the country’s democratic history. Now, with the Western Cape and Gauteng making up nearly 64 percent of the country’s total confirmed infections, Kathryn Cleary asked departments of health in both provinces how prepared they are for the coming peak.

Tags: COVID-19 COVID-19 infections COVID-19 preparations critical care field hospitals Gauteng Department of Health High flow nasal oxygen ICU nurses oxygen President Cyril Ramaphosa ventilators WESTERN CAPE HEALTH

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COVID-19: Western Cape and Gauteng prepare for the peak

COVID-19: What the pandemic is like for older persons living in poor communities

By Siyabonga Kamnqa, July 13, 2020

Posted in: Latest, Provinces, Western Cape

Already at an increased risk of serious COVID-19 illness, older persons in poor communities face an additional set of difficulties in staying safe and healthy. Siyabonga Kamnqa spoke to older people, experts, civil society organisations and government authorities on what can be done to protect older people.

Tags: Chronic Medicines COVID-19 COVID-19 deaths Department of Health Department of Social Development Elderly ikamva labantu infection control infectious diseases masks MSF older persons PPEs President Cyril Ramaphosa Sassa

COVID-19: What the pandemic is like for older persons living in poor communities

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