Changing the law on sex work will save lives, we must see it through

Posted in: Healthcare system, HIV, Latest, Opinions

In December 2022, the Minister of Justice, Ronald Lamola, set into motion a public participation process on the laws that govern sex work in South Africa. Marlise Richter & Pamela Chakuvinga point out that while the Bill published for public comment in December is very short, it will do something quite extraordinary if it does become law – it will fully decriminalise sex work. This, they argue, is a process we must see through.

Changing the law on sex work will save lives, we must see it through

Analysis: Is there a way out of SA’s medico-legal morass?

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest

With the State Liability Amendment Bill reintroduced in Parliament and a recently published discussion paper from the South African Law Reform Commission, the way medical negligence claims are handled in South Africa may soon change. Spotlight editor Marcus Low unpacks some of the legislative and other options on the table.

Analysis: Is there a way out of SA’s medico-legal morass?

Top 10 health issues to watch in 2022

Posted in: COVID-19, Healthcare system, HIV, Latest, NHI

COVID-19 will continue to dominate headlines in 2022, but from National Health Insurance to the availability of a new HIV prevention injection, it will also be an important year for other areas of health service delivery and for health system governance and reforms. Here is Spotlight’s pick of the top ten issues to keep an eye on.

OPINION: Court again steps into the gap left by the legislature on medico-legal claims

Posted in: Healthcare system, Latest

Medico-legal claims in the public healthcare sector have been sharply increasing since at least 2014 and are taking huge bites out of already stretched provincial budgets. Motheo Brodie and Sasha Stevenson of SECTION27 assess what impact a recent court judgment and proposed legislation might have on the problem.