It's been almost 15 years since we voted for all South Africans to have equal access to government services...to have dignity and a better life. To have treatment for life-threatening illnesses. But every now and then, as journalists, we step into corners of the country where apartheid and its indignities remains alive and well. Where the services that government has designed to improve our lives just CAN'T reach.
Today in our series on EVERYDAY HEROES, we have a story of immense sadness and courage. The story of a father who was determined to keep his family together despite enormous odds. Without food, safe sanitation or the means to keep warm this part winter, staying healthy was almost impossible for him.
Government needs to prioritise improving national oversight over provincial health services to address the 'anarchy' and 'scope for corruption' in provinces, according to the AIDS Law Project (ALP).
A staggering 15 000 HIV-positive people have been placed on waiting lists in the Free State where a moratorium is barring them from accessing anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs at hospitals and clinics.
Candidate microbicide PRO 2000 cuts HIV transmission by 30 percent, falling just short of the one-third required to be deemed a success. But scientists say this trial offers proof that the concept of a vaginal gel to block HIV is possible.
The quality of health care services in South Africa is declining. With that in mind, Health Minister Barbara Hogan and her deputy Dr Molefi Sefularo, are crisscrossing the country in a series of face-to-face colloquiums with health professionals to discuss the issues that bedevil the provision of care.
MOZAMBIQUE:(PlusNews) - A narrow hallway leads to a makeshift wooden counter where a shelf displays a few empty beer cans and soft drink bottles; a side door opens to a corridor with a series of bedrooms, almost all of them occupied. This is the 25 de Setembro Social Centre, one of the largest brothels in Chimoio, capital of Mozambique's central province of Manica.
Across the human lifespan, we are most vulnerable to death during birth and in the first 28 days of life. This is even more so for children born in developing nations including South Africa.
Many South Africans are physically inactive, consume poor and unhealthy diets and are overweight and obese ' leading to all kinds of preventable conditions that kill them prematurely.
The primary health care system is failing South African communities in desperate need of mental health services for common conditions such as anxiety, depression, post traumatic stress and school-related problems.
Despite improvements in living conditions over the past decade, the health of South Africans has worsened, according to the SA Health Review 2008 which was launched last night (Dec 10) in Pretoria.
There is still no known cure for AIDS. Antiretroviral medication remains the only way to treat and manage the condition if one's CD 4 cell count, which measures how strong a person's immune system is, drops to below 200. But many continue to deceive those living with HIV, claiming that they can cure them of AIDS. In South Africa, some traditional healers claim that they can cure AIDS. But is there any substance in these claims?
A condom shortage and a province running out of money for health services are two of challenges the new Health Minister has been dealing with lately to avoid a huge embarrassment before World AIDS Day on Monday.
The KwaZulu-Natal health department has ordered the withdrawal of two Nestle formula feed products following concerns over melamine contamination. However, Nestle has said their products are absolutely safe for consumption.
South Africa has flunked with an E-symbol (0-20%) when it come to the amount of money spent on HIV/AIDS, but attained an overall B-symbol for its response to the epidemic on the AIDS Reporting Index, an AIDS Accountability International (AAI) scorecard.
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