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.
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: 'I should have come in my other bakkie, I could have shown you those bullet holes'.
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.
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 'contracting models' whereby the state could as an example partner with private doctors to deliver services.
Childhood pneumonia and diarrhoea, two diseases that should ordinarily be treated and cured, are killing two million children under five each year.
Cancer services in Gauteng are facing an emergency with regular reports of broken equipment, drug stock outs, long waiting lists for treatment and delayed diagnosis.
The little girl squirms and tries to break free from the adults pinning her down, her terrified eyes as wide as saucers and her screams muffled by the tube they are trying to thread down her throat.
Bill and Melinda Gates gave the search for a TB vaccine a massive boost this week making available U$220 million over the next five years.
A much anticipated community-based study into the effectiveness of a prophylactic tuberculosis drug has shown no benefit in controlling TB.
CAPE TOWN - South Africa is very good at debating everything and not implementing anything, Dr Olive Shisana, a key advisor on South Africa's National Health Insurance (NHI) system told an international meeting on Healthcare in Africa today.
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