Patient CZ'€™s horror story represents a myriad of breakdowns within the Gauteng health system '€“ ranging from stockouts of critical drugs, long delays in investigative and diagnostic procedures and stockouts of basics such as clean linen.

Government'€™s National Health Insurance (NHI) rollout, specifically to the 10 provincial pilot sites, was the focus of finance minister Pravin Gordhan'€™s budget speech. However, while commentators welcomed the renewed focus on NHI, they wanted to hear more on rooting our failures and corruption within the health system.

South Africa'€™s Medicines Control Council (MCC) has confirmed that it will continue to deny compassionate access to a TB drug that for many drug resistant patients is their last hope.

He cuts a lone figure in the fading dusk light, clutching a laptop bag in one hand and an oversized grass basket in the other. His salt and pepper hair slightly disheveled after a long day, the Eastern Cape health'€™s head honcho Siva Pillay looks over his shoulder and grins: '€œI should have come in my other bakkie, I could have shown you those bullet holes'€.

The Eastern Cape Health and Treasury MECs have been given an ultimatum to either reply to a set of questions related to the staffing crises at Madwaleni and Livingstone hospitals, or face litigation.

CAPE TOWN - Health Director-General Precious Matsoso has launched a strong appeal to the private health sector to come up with good '€œcontracting models'€ whereby the state could as an example partner with private doctors to deliver services.