We are soft targets, say hospital workers
Health workers in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg have hit back at officials for implying that they are to blame for the deaths of six premature babies this week.
Kerry Cullinan
Read More »We are soft targets, say hospital workers
Urban women bear brunt of AIDS in KZN
The face of HIV/AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal is a woman in her thirties living in eThekwini, according to a study released this week.
Elite group that can control their HIV offers vaccine hope
Three South Africans are part of a special group of HIV positive people that may provide valuable clues to scientists searching for a vaccine.
Massive twin burden of HIV and TB
Although South Africa has just a 0.7% of the world'€™s population, it has 17% of the global HIV burden. In addition, our tuberculosis epidemic is one of the worst in the world, and is further complicated by growing drug resistant strains of TB and a high level of HIV-TB coinfection.
‘€˜The paradox of apparent progress yet worsening health outcomes’€™
Despite the health of women and children being a priority for the democratically elected government, South Africa is one of only 12 countries in the world where the mortality rate for our children has got worse since 1990.
A nation killing itself
A Cuban doctor once told me that South Africa'€™s national sport was hurting one another. The chapter on violence and injuries, South Africa'€™s second biggest killer after HIV/AIDS, is a chilling reminder of his comment.
Finding solutions
In 2000, the United Nations member states committed themselves to an eight-point development programme to improve the lives of those most in need by 2015, and these became known as the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).
Huge surge in maternal deaths
There has been a 20 percent increase in maternal deaths between 2005 and 2007, when compared to the previous three-year period, with HIV/AIDS accounting for over 40 percent of the deaths (43.7%).
Dying while waiting
Two thousand people are now on the waiting list for antiretroviral medication at Edendale Hospital, which stopped giving new patients ARVs nine weeks ago.
Anonymous group calls health strike
Angry public health professionals rally around anonymous wildcat strike email issued by doctor, dentist, pharmacist and emergency services staff "representatives".
Overburdened KZN hospital suspends ARV programme
Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg has suspended its HIV/AIDS treatment programme as it simply doesn'€™t have the staff or space to cope with more patients.
Where is our HIV prevention campaign?
While science battles to find an HIV vaccine, there have been real advances in the field of HIV prevention. So why isn'€™t South Africa taking advantage of these?