Health e News
- ///Our Health
eThekwini residents have resorted to using dirty water from local streams following last week’s devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal. Water infrastructures and roads were severely damaged, forcing community members to scrounge for anything they can get their hands on. Although water tankers have provided temporary relief, they too are under severe strain with drivers still trapped and unable to get to work. This reduced capacity as well as empty reservoirs has placed a huge burden on the eThekwini Municipality to rectify the situation. With no water coming from their taps, residents are using stream water which is often littered with diapers, sanitary pads and tissues. If this water is not adequately disinfected, it poses a risk to health. Contaminated water and poor sanitation are linked to transmission of diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, and hepatitis A. Residents share their anguish Gugulethu Mazibuko, an elderly woman who lives in Embo on the
The devastating scenes from last week’s floods in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) provided a stark reminder of not only how fragile life is, but also how healthcare systems rely on infrastructure and roads in times of need. With almost 450 people having lost their lives and close to 50 000 having been displaced, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Monday night that the country will return to a national state of disaster to assist flood victims. This comes after the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) declared a provincial state of disaster last week. Nurses, patients left stranded Damaged roads have prevented both healthcare professionals and patients from accessing facilities. According to the Democratic Nursing Organisation of South Africa (DENOSA), hundreds of people, in need of emergency services, are stranded. It has called on the provincial government to prioritise road maintenance to allow ambulances to gain access to health service key
Young boys and men are looking forward to participating in the ritual of becoming a ‘real man’ after cultural circumcisions were given the green light to resume in Mpumalanga and Limpopo. This follows a two-year ban due to COVID-19. Koketso Maile*, of Matibidi in Mpumalanga, is all smiles and can’t wait to begin his next chapter. “I am already old and should’ve gone through my rite of passage at the age of 12 so that I can cope without distractions like dreams and girls. I have already undergone medical circumcision, but going to the mountain is something I’ve been looking forward to,” said the 15-year-old. But some aren’t as lucky as him. Mogau Kekana*, who resides in Zebediela in Limpopo, has chosen to put his studies first. “I am 17-years-old and currently studying at university. If I take a break now, I might lose my NSFAS bursary. But I know
The days of waiting in long queues for medication are over following the launch of Collect & Go smart lockers. These medication dispensary containers work similarly to ATMs, ensuring your next collection will be fast and fuss-free. Right ePharmacy introduced these lockers in 2020 and at the end of February 2022, almost 434 000 chronic prescriptions had been loaded. A further 336 000 prescriptions were collected from 64 Collect & Go sites in Gauteng, Free State and Mpumalanga. Corneel Kraamwinkel, Senior Operations Specialist at Right ePharmacy, said that South Africa currently has 64 Collect & Go sites. He added that there are a further 11 sites deployed in the Western Cape and another 11 in Limpopo. These smart lockers have ample benefits alongside ease and functionality. Medication is safely stored and they aid COVID-19 regulations by allowing a safe distance between collectors. The biggest advantage, however, is helping patients to
Children can often be reticent when it comes to talking about their feelings. So, one Soweto assistant teacher decided to use the classic ice-cream cone as a tool to get them to open up about their mental health. “I love ice cream … and believe ice cream can come to you at times when you are facing storms,” said Nompumelelo Magezana, while explaining how she came up with the idea of using the much-loved treat to help children. Her work, as an assistant teacher at a Soweto primary school, brought her face-to-face with the problems children experience. A calling “I picked up things like the way they behaved which linked to their mental health. From there, I knew they needed my assistance and I had to do something,” she explained. As a child, Magezana had a difficult relationship with her mother. She also survived child abuse and understands the challenges
- ///Multimedia
Just over 46,000 people could have been fully vaccinated with the 92,370 doses of the Pfizer vaccine that expire tomorrow. Once expired these vaccines cannot be used and will be destroyed. Health Ministry spokesman Foster Mohale said the expiring stock is equal to 0.24% of all Pfizer doses received, which is under the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) 10% acceptable ratio of vaccine waste. “We are concerned about the wastage. This could have increased our number of vaccinated people. Vaccine hesitancy is also a pandemic,” he said. Another 897,270 doses of the Pfizer vaccine will expire in May; 5 845 800 will expire in June, and 4 831 560 will expire by the end of July. The shelf life of the vaccine from the date of manufacture is nine months. The value of the vaccines due to expire tomorrow is R13-million. However, as this includes doses donated to South Africa
The Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) is fighting to include health in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Presidential Climate Commission (PCC). According to the PCC, its mission is to oversee and facilitate a just and equitable transition towards a low-emissions and climate-resilient economy. Formed in 2020, the commission aims to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including all spheres of government. But, there is one crucial sector missing – health. PHASA said that the PCC has failed to include a health representative. This omission is surprising given that the health sector plays an important role in the mitigation of emissions and building adaptive capacity. Why does health matter in climate change? According to a 2020 Ipsos survey, that monitored global health services in 27 countries, half of the more than 20 000 adults rated the quality of healthcare in their country higher than two years prior. Another study, conducted
An expert believes that South Africa’s low rate of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) will remain a concern until new mothers are offered more support and education. Katinka Lategan, a certified lactation consultant, said mothers face several challenges because they are not educated enough and usually don’t get assistance. “In general, I don’t think there’s enough support and education for moms that are breastfeeding. So very often, they experience challenges in the beginning, and they don’t get enough assistance to rectify those problems,” she said. Lategan added: “If these challenges aren’t addressed, other problems may develop. For instance, low milk production, because the baby is not effectively removing milk. Or maybe, they are returning to work and the employer or the work setup doesn’t allow sufficient time for pumping.” Mom shares her struggles First-time mother Olympious Radinku said she struggled to get her baby to latch when she first started breastfeeding, Despite
- ///Multimedia
You no longer have to wear a mask outdoors and you can now be half a metre closer to people. These are among the changes that President Cyril Ramaphosa made to the COVID-19 regulations last night. Ramaphosa also confirmed that the state of disaster would end once public comment on the health regulations published by Health Minister, Joe Phaahla, is completed. Learning to live with the virus “The end of the National State of Disaster does not mean the end of the pandemic. It just means that we are changing the way we manage the pandemic. We will rely on health rather than disaster management regulations. It means that we are learning to live with the virus in our presence,” said Ramaphosa He said after four waves of infection, fewer people are becoming severely ill and requiring hospitalisation. And fewer people are dying as a result of the virus. Ramaphosa
Nine-year-old Busiswe used to struggle to read, write and spell. All she needed was an eye test and a pair of glasses but eyecare is not easily accessible in the rural part of Mpumalanga where she lives. Busisiwe’s story is not unique. A BMC Health Services Research study found that the prevalence of never having had an eye exam was 81 percent among people who live in rural areas compared to 66.9 percent among urban residents. Dr. Inez Allin, Clinics Coordinator at Tshemba Foundation said people living in rural areas face many healthcare challenges, from capacity issues to having to travel long distances to access healthcare. The result is that proactive healthcare is often not an option. The Tshemba Foundation is an organisation that helps children like Busisiwe. They have a medical volunteer programme that attracts healthcare professionals from around the world. Allin said if Busisiwe lived in an urban