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Why it’s difficult to reduce 56 000 annual TB deaths
Yoliswa Sobuwa March 20, 2025
Universitas Hospital gets Cutting-Edge Robotic Surgery
Molefi Sompane March 19, 2025
Muswani Village still without a clinic after 30 years
Israel Nkuna March 14, 2025
Limpopo villages struggle without a clinic since 1996
Thembi Siaga March 13, 2025
Death in Limpopo psych ward: Who killed Klaas Ledwaba?
Montsho Matlala March 12, 2025
Health Ombud: Helen Joseph Hospital not fit for purpose
Yoliswa Sobuwa March 11, 2025
Why it’s difficult to reduce 56 000 annual TB deaths
Yoliswa Sobuwa March 20, 2025
Universitas Hospital gets Cutting-Edge Robotic Surgery
Molefi Sompane March 19, 2025
Muswani Village still without a clinic after 30 years
Israel Nkuna March 14, 2025
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The situation is so bad that waste collectors don’t take the garbage away because the sewage is running into the dumping site.
The Pheko family from Botshabelo buried their son and brother last week, after waiting three months for an autopsy.
Surgeons will benefit from enhanced visual and tactile feedback during operations, enabling them to perform procedures more accurately and safely.
These downpours have become an unfortunate feature in the province and some communities have been hit by repeated flooding since at least 2022.
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Health-e News is a non-profit, online publication focused on pressing health issues in South Africa. We centre community voices through our network of nationwide citizen journalists.
It’s been three months since reports of a global shortage of tuberculosis (TB) drugs and stockouts emerged. Motherwell Community Health Centre in Gqeberha, Eastern Cape is only left with five boxes of Rifinah, a fixed-dose combination of two anti-TB drugs rifampicin and isoniazid. ![]()
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A health worker at the clinic tells Health-e News that they see about 20 TB patients a day and are worried that the pills they have in stock won’t last a month. As a result, she says, they are being forced to ration the medicine and give patients just seven days’ worth of pills instead of the usual four months’ supply. #WorldTBDay #EndTB
Eastern Cape Hit By TB Drug Shortage Due To Global Supply Issues
health-e.org.za
National health spokesperson Foster Mohale says most provinces have been affected by the stockout.
Families in the Free State have been unable to bury their loved ones due to an autopsy backlog. ![]()
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The Pheko family from Botshabelo buried their son and brother last week, after waiting three months for an autopsy. "The body of my brother was found in December and an autopsy was only done on 6 March. It still breaks our hearts that we had to wait so long,” Ramorena Pheko says. ![]()
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The Kanono family from Thaba Nchu in the eastern Free State has been waiting for almost three weeks to know their son’s cause of death. Thembani Kanono is yet to be buried because his family is still waiting for an autopsy to be performed. ![]()
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"We’ve been waiting for an autopsy since mid-February. We were told there are currently only two centres able to do autopsies in the Free State," says Thabani Kanono.![]()
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health-e.org.za/2025/03/21/free-state-family-waits-3-months-for-burial-because-of-autopsy-backlog/ #healthnews #freestate
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Parts of KwaZulu Natal (KZN) have been battered by heavy rains in recent weeks, causing more than R3bn in damage to infrastructure and claiming lives. In early March a state of disaster was declared to unlock resources needed to help the province recover. ![]()
On the ground, residents are struggling to get by. ![]()
Sanelisiwe Mkhize (23), a student at Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi lost most of her belongings when the backroom she lives in was flooded in last month’s heavy rains. ![]()
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While Mkhize was able to salvage some of her textbooks, most of her clothes and food were washed away. Beyond the material loss, Mkhize says she is struggling with her mental health. ![]()
“I'm so scared to sleep. Sometimes I stay up all night. I’m terrified of falling asleep and waking up drowning,” she says. Michel'le Donnelly from the The South African Federation for Mental Health, explains more on the #mentalhealth impact. ![]()
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health-e.org.za/2025/03/18/kzn-floods-leave-lingering-trauma/ ![]()
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#kznfloods #healthnews
How Long Must They Wait? ![]()
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Rural communities in Limpopo have been waiting for clinics for decades. Their stories are different, but their struggle is the same: no access to healthcare, broken promises, and no clear answers from the government.![]()
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Mbaula & Phalaubeni were promised a clinic in 1996, yet residents still have to travel up to 58km just to see a doctor. A hospital trip costs nearly R100—money many don’t have. ![]()
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In Muswani Village, residents have been asking for a clinic since the 1980s. It was even included in government plans, but never built. Their councillor promised to help but lost interest, leaving them with nothing. health-e.org.za/2025/03/13/limpopo-villages-struggle-without-a-clinic-since-1996/ #healthnews
#BudgetSpeech2025: A significant portion of South Africa’s health expenditure goes towards paying wages and salaries. This was a key focus in the budget speech delivered by finance minister Enoch Godongwana on Wednesday. ![]()
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“R28.9 billion is added to the health budget, mainly to keep about 9 300 healthcare workers in our hospitals and clinics. It will also be used to employ 800 post-community service doctors, and to ensure that our pharmacies do not run out of medicines.” ![]()
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Godongwana says health spending will increase from R277 billion in the 2024/25 financial year to R329 billion in the 2027/28 financial year.
Budget focuses on keeping healthworker jobs
health-e.org.za
While it's crucial to ensure healthcare workers are paid fairly, the wage bill can put a strain on the health budget.
![[WATCH] In a first of its kind in Southern Africa, Universitas Hospital in Bloemfontein has launched the Versius Robotic Surgery System, making surgeries safer and faster.
This new system makes surgeries less invasive which can help patients recover quicker, with less risk. Link in bio to learn more.
#roboticsurgery #Surgery #southafrica #healthinnovation](data:image/svg+xml;nitro-empty-id=MzQ0Njo4Mg==-1;base64,PHN2ZyB2aWV3Qm94PSIwIDAgMTAwMCA1NjAiIHdpZHRoPSIxMDAwIiBoZWlnaHQ9IjU2MCIgeG1sbnM9Imh0dHA6Ly93d3cudzMub3JnLzIwMDAvc3ZnIj48L3N2Zz4= "Health E News 46")
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