A nurse should be a caring and loving person with good listening and communication skills say student nurses at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Gauteng. It also takes hard work and dedication. Thandeka Teyise joined the first year students on their rounds at Chris Hani Baragwanath and found out what motivated them in their chosen profession.

South African scientists have made a breakthrough in malaria research which will enable more effective drugs to be developed to treat the parasite-based infection. The breakthrough is based on identifying how the malaria parasite, transmitted to people by the Anopheles mosquito, operates in humans' red blood cells, according to Dr Giovanni Hearne of Wits University's School of Physics.

Although the Eastern Cape health department has welcomed the announcement of protocols for the use of anti-retroviral drugs in the treatment of rape survivors, the province will make no clear commitment as to when they will implement the treatment option. The Acting MEC of Health in the province, Max Mamase, says he would have liked the protocols to specify a triple combination therapy to ensure maximum efficacy. Mamase also says, because the drugs have not been proven to be completely effective, it is important that the protocols must exempt government from any litigation.

On May 29, the Minister of Health announced protocols for the use of post-exposure prophylaxis against HIV for rape survivors in public health facilities around the country. In this series of interviews, Khopotso Bodibe spoke to a number of provincial health ministers to find out what plans were in place to implement the protocols. The answers he received were mixed. First in line was the MEC of Health in Limpopo, Sello Moloto.