The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority has approved its first COVID-19 antibody test amid criticism that it is too slow and too cautious in approving applications for the registration of such tests.
Since January Dr Arifa Parker has served at the coalface of South Africa’s fight against COVID-19. Biénne Huisman chatted to her about what life is like in the eye of the storm.
South Africa’s strategy to defeat COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019) is to lockdown the country and upscale testing to quickly identify individuals who may have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Regulations have been published setting out how things will work under South Africa’s 21-day COVID-19 lockdown. Here we answer some of the top questions on what people in the country may or may not do in this time.
While public health experts welcome the lockdown as “the right thing to do”, some warn that a lockdown alone is not the silver bullet.
While many recovering addicts are scared of catching the COVID-19 virus, many are also frightened of how they’ll cope without AA and NA meetings as more and more of these meetings are being cancelled.
We are a world and a nation at war and if we don’t respond accordingly, we will suffer serious casualties – infrastructure, jobs, economic growth, food security, social cohesion and life itself, writes a team of public health doctors as they call on all South Africans to join them as they pledge to put the ‘(YO)U back into UBUNTU’.
Host Nomatter Ndebele chats to RHAP director Russell Rensburg about the major reforms underway in the South African healthcare system.
In episode 2 we catch up with the processes around the Life Esidimeni tragedy. Christine Nxumalo discusses what further action the families are hoping for. Tendai Mafuma provides fascinating insights into the prospects for criminal liability. Mark Heywood gives his views on the politics surrounding the case and what that means for accountability.
In this first episode of the Spotlight podcast host Nomatter Ndebele speaks to Dr Daphney Conco of Wits about what SRHR is and why it matters. We also hear from Vuyokazi Gonyela of TAC about their SRHR work in provinces. Finally, Nomatter chats to Spotlight guest editor Thuthu Mbatha about some of the highlights in the special Youth edition of Spotlight.
South Africa has been in the grip of a TB crisis for decades. It is a crisis that has mostly dropped below the radar – socially, politically and economically.
The role of community health workers in the South African public healthcare system has been unclear and controversial. How many do we need? What exactly should their role be? Who should employ them? What should they be paid? Is there good evidence to inform policy? Sasha Stevenson of SECTION27 lead Spotlight’s in-depth investigation into these pressing questions.