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A board to the entrance of Potlako Motlohi clinic in the Free State

Botshabelo community close clinic, demand reinforcement of health workers

News, Free State, Our Health

The community of Section L in Botshabelo in the Free State closed down their local clinic on Wednesday in protest of a staff shortage at the facility. They locked the doors to Potlako Motlohi clinic with workers inside and camped…

Molefi Sompane
August 24, 2023

Medication shortages at Gauteng facilities

Trained pharmacists can now prescribe ARVs and manage patients with HIV

News, Health Policy

Access to TB prevention treatment and antiretroviral (ARV) medication is about to get easier in South Africa. People will soon be able to get a range of HIV services from pharmacists with special training. South Africa’s HIV treatment programme is…

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho
August 24, 2023

Pregnancy itself is a potential mental health stressor, even for older women. Generally, women are twice as likely to experience mental health challenges as their male counterparts. According to a research article published in 2022, although research on maternal mental health in Africa is sparse, some studies estimate the prevalence of postpartum depression in Africa to range between 15 to 25%.30,31. The prevalence of postpartum depression among adolescent mothers ranges from 14% to 53%. This is more than double that observed in older mothers (7–17%). The article also states that teenage mothers with untreated depression have a far greater likelihood of having a second pregnancy within two years. According to the South African Medical Journal, the number of births to young teenagers aged 10 - 14 years increased by 48.7% (from a baseline of 2 726, which is very high by developed-country standards) and the birth rate per 1 000 girls in this age category increased from 1.1 to 1.5. SAMJ analysed the data available in the public sector database, the District Health Information System, from 2017 to 2021. In adolescent girls aged 15 - 19, the number of births increased by 17.9% (from a baseline of 114 329) and the birth rate per 1 000 girls in this age category increased from 49.6 to 55.6. These increases also occurred year on year in a continuous upward trend as well as in all provinces, but at different rates. Generally, rates were higher in the more rural provinces such as Limpopo, Mpumalanga and Eastern Cape than in more urban provinces such as Gauteng and Western Cape. Londeka and Patience are both mothers who fell pregnant whilst teens. They shared their mental health struggles as well as what being pregnant whilst still a teenager is like. Londeka Ngcongo, is a 17 year old mother of a 1 year 4 months old girl. She fell pregnant in August 2020 and I gave birth in May 2021. “I was nervous; I thought that I will be kicked out at home but I didn't think of having an abortion. I first told my boyfriend that I was pregnant. He was shocked but he gave me a lot of support and took care of me. I was 3 months pregnant at the time when he told his family. They gave me much support, love as well and they love the baby too. Our relationship is good”, she says. The teen mum who is from Inanda, Durban, lives with her mother’s family. “At home everything is bad, I’m being insulted, they are talking behind my back, gossiping. I feel like a prisoner. Everything that I do is not appreciated, I feel like I am useless and I am not a member of the family, I feel like an outcast, life is difficult”, she says. Ngcongo says that her father’s side of the family is a bit more supportive. “My father’s family is okay, they are supporting me they understand that I am a child and I also do mistake as other teenagers, I even wished if I could live with them but I can’t because they live in rural area northern KZN plus I am still studying I can’t just go and live in rural area”, she says. Ngcongo had to skip school last year because her baby was very sick. “We stayed at the hospital for 2 months, and even this year my baby is still in and out of the hospital, which is a difficult thing for me as a young mother”. She says that she is grateful that her boyfriend's family is still supporting them, which she is not experiencing from her family. “In my family, it seems as if they don’t even care about my suffering; they don’t ask me anything regarding myself and or the child’s wellbeing. Ngcongo says being in school, as a young mother is not easy. “Not because I have a child but because of the depression and trauma I have. My high school life has been difficult since Grade 9 because I had no support from home, even the school uniform that I had was not in a good condition. It became worse when they found out that I was pregnant, even my mother she didn’t support me not to mention my friends as well who also turned their backs on me which is the thing I didn’t expect honestly, but I told myself that life goes on I have to be strong for myself and for my child”, she says. During the week, Ngcongo’s child stays with her grandmother (her boyfriend's mother) because she is still at school but during the weekends, holidays and school holidays, she makes sure that she fetches her child. Though Ngcongo does receive a social grant, she says it is not enough for a child who is always sick because most of the time she needs to see a doctor or be sent to hospital. “Life is tough but I try by all means to take it one step at a time”, she says. Ngcongo gets her income from hair braiding, hair styling and manicures. “My dream one day is to have my own salon in town, because to tell you the truth I don’t see myself as a career woman but I see myself as a business woman one day”, she says. 21 year-old mother to twins, Patience Mentoor, also gets income through manicures. Mentoor, who lives in Delft, Cape Town fell pregnant in Grade 11 and felt like her life was over. “It wasn’t easy at all, but I love my children. Finding out that you are pregnant at 17 isn’t easy but now finding out that it was twins was even worse. The first thing that crossed my mind was my parents, I knew that they were going to be disappointed. I gave birth in June (matric year) and dropped out of school, so I don’t even have matric”, she says. Mentoor says that the pregnancy was not easy and she was depressed throughout it. “Getting through the day was hard. Both of our parents agreed that I should stay at home until the babies were born but the environment at home wasn’t nice, especially with my father. There was also a time when suicide crossed my mind because I felt like a burden and unworthy.”, she says. I was lucky that I fell pregnant towards the end of Grade 11 so I didn’t really have to face people’s comments and stares at school but I knew that when matric started I’d have to face it eventually because my bump was growing”, she says. Mentoor says that a social worker in the community encouraged her to join a support group for teen mothers, because she could see how it was affecting her mental health. “Aunty Lydia (social worker) was actually more supportive than my family, in terms of emotional support, so that did help in a way. She really guided me and told me that I need to speak about how I am feeling and not keep it inside. I am grateful to her because it really helped with the mental health struggles I was having and still have sometimes”, she says. Mentoor started doing people’s nails as a way to make income. “My boyfriend’s and his family do help financially but I just wanted to make sure that I am making money of my own, so I started with something simple. It’s not a lot but it’s a start. I really hope to study someday. I didn’t finish matric but I still hope that I can do something to secure my future.” she says. A 2020 study explores the intersection between mental health and sexual and reproductive health amongst adolescent girls and young women in South Africa. In South Africa, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) are at risk of poor mental health, HIV infection and early pregnancy. Poor mental health in AGYW is associated with increased sexual risk behaviours, and impeded HIV testing and care. Using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, the study explored subjective experiences of mental health and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) amongst 237 AGYW aged 15–24 years in five South African districts. Respondents shared narratives of stress, emotional isolation, feelings of depression, and suicidal ideation, interconnected with HIV, pregnancy and violence in relationships. In the South African context, pregnancy may exacerbate existing social and contextual stressors, adding additional stressors such as interpersonal relationship challenges, regret around ‘unintended’ pregnancies, and depression. Respondents suggested that due to social stigma attached to teenage pregnancy, pregnant AGYW fear being judged and gossiped about: “Pregnant girls feel sad, some even contemplate suicide (azive efuna ukuzibulala) because of hearing unpleasant things about their life being spoken by other people”. (15–18 years, WC, isiXhosa) “Pregnant girls are teased, and then they drop out of school, they don't finish; here at school, we gossip about each other in the toilets.” (15–18 years, WC). The emotional ‘burden’ of teenage pregnancy was described as a key contributing factor to poor mental health: “They say having a child is a good thing, but as a teenager it is a burden, it’s difficult to cope” (15–18 years, EC). The study also revealed that a lack of emotional support from partners/fathers of children also contributed to stress and depression amongst young mothers. Lacking a supportive social environment negatively impacted on mental health and self-esteem. Suggestions from this study include addressing the burden of unplanned teenage pregnancy. Sex education needs to be incorporated into discussions at school, home, and health facilities. Further, safe, stigma-free access to contraceptives needs to be provided for adolescents. Authors from the study also suggest that the sociocultural stigma and taboo associated with discussions about sex at school and within the community needs to be mitigated to provide a safe environment for teens to engage. Community health workers, who are typically lay members of the community who work either for pay or as volunteers with the local health care system, can be trained to provide sex education community members (including teenagers and their families). “Teens are more comfortable learning from teens. Trained peer counsellors and support groups have been used to provide safe environment for adolescents to have healthy conversations on sexual and reproductive health”. There are several organisations throughout South Africa that provide support for teenage mothers and their families. A few include: Mamkhulu.org in Mpumalanga, Teen Moms Youth Development run by Options Care Centre in George, The Parent Centre in Wynberg, Cape Town, Lifeline Pregnancy Support and Girl Pride Africa . - Health-e News

Teen mums in South Africa: largest ever study explores what it takes to go back to school

News, Research

Kathryn Steventon Roberts, University of Oxford and Janina Jochim, University of Oxford Imagine the weight of responsibility for caring for a child when you are not yet fully grown yourself, and the fear of being shamed by parents, fellow learners,…

Health-e News
August 22, 2023

Patients, staff complain about water crisis in KZN hospitals

News, Health Systems

The quality and availability of water have been a major issue at two hospitals in Kwa-Zulu Natal (KZN). At Montebello Hospital in Ndwedwe families have to bring water when visiting sick relatives because the tap water at the hospital is…

SA welcomes launch of new TB Vaccine Accelator Council

Court orders national health department to disclose details of Covid-19 vaccine contracts

News, Health Systems

The National Department of Health has less than 10 days to hand over all the copies of the Covid-19 vaccine procurement contracts to the Health Justice Initiative (HJI). This follows a court judgement handed down by the North Gauteng High…

An image of the front end of an ambulance

One ambulance for 96 villages as cash strapped Limpopo health fails to replace and repair broken ones

News, Health Systems

Residents in over 96 villages in Giyani, Limpopo, have been relying on a single ambulance for medical emergencies since the beginning of the year. “When you contact the Giyani EMS station for an ambulance, they will tell you straight that…

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho
August 18, 2023

Three things you should know about organ donation in South Africa

News, Health

All organs are in short supply and the demand outstrips the supply in all countries.

Lilita Gcwabe
August 17, 2023

Mother faces daily struggle for survival as food prices skyrocket

News, Determinants Of Health

Patricia Maluleke* is fraught with worry. The unemployed 29-year-old from Thohoyandou, in Limpopo, recently had a baby girl and it’s been a struggle. “My daughter is only four-months old, but I am already facing uncertainty whether I will be able…

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho
August 16, 2023

Moretele drug action committee met with mixed reactions

News, Our Health

Residents in Moretele local municipality in the North West are optimistic about efforts to address drug abuse and the issues associated with it. This follows the launch of the Moretele local drug action committee. Municipalities around the country have adopted…

Precious Mashiane
August 15, 2023

Deaf people need sign language interpreters in therapy or counselling. But very few are trained

Mental Health, Features, News

South Africa has limited – almost non-existent – mental health services for Deaf people. Before a Deaf person can access counselling or therapy, a sign language interpreter must be arranged. This introduces an additional barrier to mental healthcare. “Often the…

Lilita Gcwabe
August 14, 2023

Women living on streets struggle to get basic health services

Women's Health, News

“Most of the times when I, or a friend, went to a clinic the healthcare workers didn’t want to help us because of the way we smelled or how we looked,” Chantel Sampson recalls. In 2018, the 42-year-old lived on…

Lilita Gcwabe
August 11, 2023

It’s a wait and hope for thousands of people in need of life-saving organs

News, Features

Waiting and hoping. That is how critically ill, 44-year old Guy Read has spent the past four years. Read, who suffers from a kidney disease, has been on the waiting list for a transplant for four years now. He is…

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho
August 10, 2023

Protests in Parys: clinics and schools shut down and residents at odds

News, Free State, Our Health

Residents of Tumahole in Parys have shut down local clinics and schools in protest of the ongoing water crisis plaguing the Free State town. But the shutdown, which started on Monday, has left the community divided. The mass protest…

Molefi Sompane
August 8, 2023

Western Cape clinics and hospitals operating at limited capacity due to taxi strike

News, Health Systems

Failed negotiations with the Western Cape government on Sunday means the protest action by the South African National Taxi Council (Santaco) will continue until Wednesday 9 August. The taxi strike started last Thursday and has resulted in acts of public…

Faith Mutizira
August 7, 2023
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Lack of awareness is putting a damper on the roll-out of TB preventive treatment in South Africa

News, Health

Tuberculosis (TB) experts in South Africa are concerned about the slow uptake of TB preventive treatment (TPT). The people most at risk of TB disease aren’t receiving the protection they need. Dr Norbert Ndjeka, Chief Director of TB Control and…

Ndivhuwo Mukwevho
August 7, 2023

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