Unacceptably long wait for surgery in Free State, healthcare workers and patients say

Surgical waiting lists are not unexpected in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are indications that the situation is particularly acute in the Free State, and possibly for reasons that are not directly related to the pandemic. Also, the department of health failed to offer any explanation or details of current surgery waiting lists and waiting times reported by healthcare workers and patients. Refilwe Mochoari reports.

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Concern over safety at Free State healthcare facilities

Amid several reports of assault on healthcare workers and robberies at health facilities in the Free State, many healthcare workers are fearing for their safety. Refilwe Mochoari visited some of these ‘hotspots’ to see what security measures are in place and spoke to healthcare workers and health authorities about their security and safety concerns.

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In-depth: Is pain management in SA up to scratch?

Many people in South Africa unnecessarily suffer from chronic pain due to system failures, poor access to expensive medicines, and lack of sufficient medical education on pain management. What’s worse is that even though morphine is cheap and easy to administer – those who do need palliative care often don’t receive it. Elsabé Brits takes an in-depth look at how we deal with pain in South Africa.

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