South Africa’s rural cancer conundrum
Two types of conditions can spell death in South Africa’s rural areas, and I just diagnosed a patient with one of them, writes a rural doctor in the latest installment of our Rural Reflections blog.
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Opinion: Psychologists playing a defensive game
In a country plagued by endemic violence and social inequality, psychologists cannot constrain themselves to the four walls of consulting rooms. To meet the needs of its patients, psychology must rethink its identity and voice in the fight for social justice, writes Garret Barnwell.
[Updated]The hidden violence: Women and attempted suicide
For hundreds of murdered South African women, the last face they see is a face they used to love. Almost 60 percent of women murdered annually may die by their partner’s hands but who is counting the women who die by their own hands when violence at home becomes too much, asks Garret Barnwell.
A simple holiday gift: Safe cooking stoves for families
Holiday lights and decorations are already popping up across South Africa. As children anticipate gifts and a holiday from school, families and friends will gather for meals together to toast the season. Tragically, the cooking of food is actually a gateway to a leading cause of child death, writes Keith Klugman.
Network providers ‘drop the call’ on rural patients
In rural areas, the distance between health facilities can span hundreds of kilometres often covered via poor roads. In places like these, the difference between a health care worker having cell phone reception or seeing the familiar “No service” on a cell phone screen can be a matter of life or death.
Getting to zero preventable child deaths is possible
News child mortality data shows East and southern Africa are making the fastest progress on reducing child deaths - and this bodes well as the world ushers in new development goals, write UNICEF Regional Director for Eastern and southern Africa Leila Gharagozloo-Pakkala and Save the Children East Africa Director David Wright.
Rural Reflections: There is a problem
As public debate rages about whether there are or are not antiretroviral (ARV) stock outs in the county, our rural doctor and blogger reminds us what three letters and ARV stock outs really mean.
Opinion: I’ll #BreastfeedAnywhereAnytime
Thousands of rands have been spent promoting breastfeeding for babies, so why do we treat mums who do like criminals, asks Sizile Makola, who has started the #BreastfeedAnywhereAnytime social media campaign.
Through the looking glass: ‘I was living an unliveable life’
In the latest installment of her regular mental health blog, Jocelyn Fryer writes about how she lost – and found – her voice after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Is there an orthopod in the house?
Our rural doctor-turned-blogger gets what could be the important WhatsApp of her career as she faces a bakkie load of factures by herself and without a specialist.
Opinion: Going too far with GMOs, ‘toxic’ chemicals
Helen Whitehead says Port St. Johns residents have little choice but to heap genetically-modified food onto their plates. She’s joined many in demanding better transparency about what’s on the country's crops and plates.
What’s in your purse dictates what’s on your plate
The stream of media coverage about diets may suggest that the majority of South Africans are pre-occupied with the latest food fads. But what people choose to eat is more often dictated by class and their purses than clinical decisions about what is good for them, writes Thandi Puoane.