OPINION: Part of child protection is allowing kids to be themselves when it comes to gender

Posted in: Child health, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Reproductive Health, SRHR

South Africa is currently observing Child Protection Week to shine a spotlight on the rights of children, as enshrined in the Constitution and the Children’s Act. The campaign aims to ensure the rights, safety, and well-being of children – aiming to foster a safer environment. To foster a safe environment, however, children must not only feel physically safe but also emotionally safe. Yet teenagers often do not have a safe space to speak to trusted people about the confusion they face around their gender, writes Kholofelo Mphahlele.

OPINION: Part of child protection is allowing kids to be themselves when it comes to gender

Some in Free State only given ARVs for two weeks at a time

Posted in: Free State, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Provinces

While the Free State health department is denying that clinics in the province are experiencing stockouts of antiretroviral medicines, some healthcare users and HIV activists working in communities claim otherwise. The department does however acknowledge that some people are given only a two-week supply at a time. Refilwe Mochoari reports.

Some in Free State only given ARVs for two weeks at a time

KwaZulu-Natal doing well compared to other provinces but some health services still a challenge

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, KwaZulu-Natal, Latest, Provinces, Sex Work

KwaZulu-Natal clinics are outperforming facilities monitored in other provinces on various indicators and health services in the province have improved year-on-year, but some marginalised groups continue to have a hard time accessing healthcare services. This is according to the latest provincial report from community-led monitoring project Ritshidze. Nthusang Lefafa spoke to several NGOs about the findings and asked the province’s health department for their response.

KwaZulu-Natal doing well compared to other provinces but some health services still a challenge

OPINION: Mid-term budget fails to show the way to a more resilient recovery

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest

The Medium-term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) was tabled amid a grim global economic outlook and a climate of increasing political uncertainty, electricity supply challenges, and very high unemployment. Russell Rensburg argues the MTBPS fails to provide a credible path toward a resilient recovery and sets out what can be done to strengthen governance and build social solidarity around the recovery we need.

OPINION: Mid-term budget fails to show the way to a more resilient recovery

Staff attitudes at Eastern Cape clinics still a problem, report finds

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

Staff attitudes and patients complaining of being treated badly by healthcare workers at some clinics in the Eastern Cape were among the issues flagged in the latest report by community-led clinic monitoring group Ritshidze. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports.

Staff attitudes at Eastern Cape clinics still a problem, report finds

Patients bear brunt of worsening conditions at some Free State clinics, report shows

Posted in: Free State, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Provinces

A recently published report by the community-led clinic monitoring project, Ritshidze shows that while there have been pockets of improvements at some clinics in the Free State, there are key issues on which facilities’ performance has worsened, especially for people living with HIV. Refilwe Mochoari unpacks the report’s findings zooming in on the situation at Bloemspruit Clinic in Mangaung.

Patients bear brunt of worsening conditions at some Free State clinics, report shows

In-depth: Have 4 years of administration reduced medicine stockouts in North West?

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Healthcare system, Latest, North West, Provinces

Public healthcare facilities in the North West have been plagued by chronic medicines stockouts for years. Now, as the province’s health department is again taking the reins after four years under administration by the National Department of Health, Nthusang Lefafa asks what progress has or has not been made in that most basic of healthcare functions, providing people with the medicines they need.

In-depth: Have 4 years of administration reduced medicine stockouts in North West?

ANALYSIS: Reflections on TAC’s future as new leadership elected

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest

The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) elected new leadership at its recently held seventh national congress. Thabo Molelekwa attended the congress and asked TAC leaders about the organisation’s focus in 2022 and beyond.

ANALYSIS: Reflections on TAC’s future as new leadership elected

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

Free State pushing to get TB patients back into care

Posted in: COVID-19, Free State, Healthcare system, Latest, Provinces, TB

As was the case in the rest of the country, the COVID-19 pandemic dealt a severe blow to the tuberculosis (TB) response in the Free State. Refilwe Mochoari gathered the available numbers and asked the province’s health department about their plans to get the TB response back on track.

Free State pushing to get TB patients back into care

Health in 2021: Another tumultuous year in under a thousand words

Posted in: Access to Medicines, Child health, COVID-19, Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest, Mental Health, NHI, Provinces, TB

It wasn’t rocket science when we predicted at the start of 2021 that South Africa’s biggest challenge this year would be to get COVID-19 shots into as many arms as possible. But the way it has played out with multiple setbacks and scrambling problem-solving is not something anyone could have predicted. In fewer than a thousand words, Spotlight editor Marcus Low takes a look back at a tumultuous year in health in South Africa.

Health in 2021: Another tumultuous year in under a thousand words

Opinion: We should make it much easier for people to start and stay on HIV treatment

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV/AIDS, Latest

The top priority in our HIV programme should be to make it as easy as possible for people to start and stay on treatment. Yet, as a number of provincial reports released this year by community monitoring group Ritshidze have shown, there are many healthcare system factors that work directly against this objective. Spotlight editor Marcus Low considers some of the potential solutions.