Government opens up public comment period on food policy after uproar
After weeks of lobbying by civil society organisations, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has decided to open its draft food security plan for public comment.
Laura Lopez Gonzalez
Read More »Government opens up public comment period on food policy after uproar
Handful of civil society organisations allegedly invited to food policy consultations
Activists have alleged that only five civil society organisations were invited to today’s public consultation on government’s new food policy.
Poor left out of new plan to end hunger – activists
About one in four South Africans regularly go hungry. A new government plan aims to stem hunger but risks failing without input from those hit hardest – the country’s poor, say activists.
SA doctor charts new course for WHO in Africa
South African born Dr. Matshidiso Moeti yesterday became the World Health’s Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Director for Africa. As she takes the reigns of one of the WHO’s most important offices at a pivotal time, the doctor from KwaThema east of Johannesburg says she has never forgotten the lessons South Africa taught her.
Chair of Basson HPCSA inquiry may be forced to step down
The Pretoria High Court has granted an application by Apartheid-era chemical weapons expert Dr Wouter Basson that may allow him to sack the chair of his ongoing Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) inquiry.
Cape Town TB activist to hear again
Phumeza Tisile, 24, was told that she would die three times before she beat extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). She survived but lost her hearing. Now, an outpouring of goodwill has given it back to her.
[Updated] Basson walks out of HPCSA sentencing, threatens High Court action
Apartheid-era chemical warfare expert Dr Wouter Basson and his legal team walked out of a Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) sentencing yesterday. His lawyers have also approached the High Court after alleging that the chair of Basson’s HPCSA inquiry failed to declare conflicts of interest.
[Updated] Cape Town TB activist in race against time to hear again
Drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) robbed 24-year-old Phumeza Tisile of her hearing. Now, she is fighting to get it back through a national fundraising campaign, but time is running out.
Study estimates 153,000 sex workers active in South Africa
First of its kind research released yesterday shows that South Africa is home to about 153,000 sex workers as a new plan aims to decriminalise one of the world’s oldest professions.
Study links birth control to increased risk of HIV infection
Women using the birth control shot known by the brand name Depo-Provera may have about a 30 percent higher risk of contracting HIV, according to new research. However, the link between hormonal contraception and HIV remains uncertain.
Changing HIV treatment for expecting mums changes more than pills
In January, the country will introduce a big change in antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for pregnant women with HIV. Health workers in the Western Cape, which has been operating under the new treatment plan for over a year, warn that the change means more than just pills for expecting mums.
Professional bodies silent on Project Coast horrors – researcher
The medical fraternity has taken an albeit belated stand against apartheid's chemical and biological warfare programme with the Health Professional Council of South Africa's (HPCSA) ongoing sentencing of Wouter Basson. Other professional bodies have remained silent.