A disturbing pattern of reprisals against public service doctors who voice their concerns or put the interests of patients before the bureaucracy, thus improving the quality of care in the South African health system, is on the rise.
This week the South African National Defence Force'€™s labour policies on HIV/AIDS came under scrutiny in the Pretoria High Court. Three HIV-positive military members together with the security forces union, SASFU, have instituted a case to challenge their constitutionality, alleging that the policies are discriminatory.
Chronic ailments such as heart disease and stroke are the chief cause of global deaths with infectious diseases including HIV and Malaria predicted to have a lesser impact worldwide over the long term, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Maternal, newborn and child deaths would be drastically reduced if South Africa simply implemented the policies it already has in place.
Dr Malcolm Naude, a former Mpumalanga doctor is back in court to force the government to settle a case dating back to 2001. He charges that the withdrawal of his offer of employment by Mpumalanga'€™s Rob Ferreira Hospital, was unfair and discriminatory.
OPINION: The writing is on the wall for UNAIDS.
Anti-malaria drugs in six African cities fail basic quality tests
Under-treatment, inappropriate treatment and lack of education for asthma patients in South Africa are contributing to still unacceptably high morbidity rates.
Health MEC's "racist" tilt at doctors gets reported to the ANC and Human Rights Commission.
Two organisations representing over 12 000 healthworkers have called for the immediate reinstatement of the doctor who threw a picture of KZN Health MEC in the bin.
KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC has lifted the suspension of Dr Mark Blaylock, but is now investigating a number of more serious allegations against him including racism and assault.
In spite of its middle income status, South Africa is high up with 10 of the 68 worst performing countries in making progress towards reaching the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) that relates to reducing child deaths by 2015.
An audit of deaths of children under the age of five in the South African health care system shows that many of these deaths can be avoided.
Health experts have warned of a possible increase of cervical cancer among HIV-positive women if nothing is done to prevent the Human Papilloma Virus, which causes this form of cancer.
The strive to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) is not a race where success is based on the position one holds in relation to other competitors, Health minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has told the Countdown to 2015 conference underway in Cape Town.
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