Eastern Cape patients using public health facilities report being turned away, those living with HIV being shouted at, while key populations face hostile services from healthcare workers. These are some of the findings outlined in a new report by Ritshidze,…
Top scientists, opinion leaders, civil society groups and politicians are calling on United States (US) policymakers to vote in favour of the continued funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The voting process – known as a…
Six years ago when Lerato Madumise, 28, of Rammulotsi in the remote Free State town of Viljoenskroon found out she was expecting her first child she was happy. She was excited about giving birth to a healthy boy, and everything…
Academics, activists and medical professionals have rung the alarm bell over the further deterioration of South Africa’s public health services if stringent budget-cutting measures are implemented immediately. South Africa has been facing fiscal strain with increased interest rates and high…
It’s been two years since Health-e News first met Oreokame Sehularo from the Northern Cape. Two birthday celebrations later, and the 11-year-old, affectionately called “Oreo” by family and close friends, is still waiting for a life saving stem cell donation. …
Social workers, researchers and teachers are desperate for more psychosocial support for children and adolescents in South Africa. They say it’s a “no-brainer” that every school needs a social worker. The issue of mental illness among learners has made recent…
Lungani Ngema (27) from Shakaville in KwaDukuza on the KwaZulu Natal North Coast was diagnosed with tuberculosis empyema (TB empyema) in November last year. While curable, this complex form of TB disease requires specialist treatment for a period varying from…
Scared, in pain and out of options, Kebuile Morapedi took to social media in August. “I need help. I’ve lodged a complaint at the clinic, but still nothing. I have two children who are three-years-old and I’m still young. I…
Mpho Matlakale Molete, University of the Witwatersrand, School of Oral Health Sciences & Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) Graduate. Oral health is a vital part of overall health and well-being, but it is often ignored or neglected.…
Shadrack Mashabane is a traditional healer based in Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga. He is one of 15 traditional healers who, in March, completed training to provide HIV counselling and testing. In an interview with Health-e News, the 37-year-old says that since…
The COVID-19 procurement contracts South Africa signed with various pharmaceutical companies were “unethical, immoral, and imperial minded”, says Health Justice Initiative (HJI) director, Fatima Hassan. She says the contracts made no provision for transparency and government as the purchaser had…
High-functioning depression is a hidden struggle that often goes unnoticed in the lives of many individuals. While the term “high-functioning” may imply that everything is perfectly fine on the surface, beneath the facade of productivity and normalcy lies a complex…
Yogan Pillay, Stellenbosch University and Madhukar Pai, McGill University For centuries, we have known that tuberculosis is a social disease. It thrives on poverty and social factors such as malnutrition, poor housing, overcrowding, unsafe work environments and stigma. Globally in…
Patients using public health facilities in the Free State face hostile services, staff shortages, and long waiting times. Some patients have even reported being turned away and denied care. These are just some of the findings of a report published…
Jubilee District Hospital in Hammanskraal, north of Pretoria, is stretched and doesn’t have the capacity to take care of a growing population. Communications officer, Moses Seete, says the hospital serves patients from more than 20 villages between Gauteng and Northwest…