Although pregnancy is a good thing to most women, delivering the baby, which most women do at public hospitals, could be the most unpleasant experience, according to allegations of ill-treatment that they endure at the hands of nurses in public sector hospitals.
Despite a number of hospitals being ready to implement 'dual therapy' to prevent mother-to-child HIV infection, the national Department of Health has not yet made it national policy
The criteria used to award government temporary disability grant have come under scrutiny. Currently, there is concern that even people who do not 'deserve' the grant receive it, while there are seriously ill patients who do not receive it.
Debate is raging about some people using unconventional methods to access the government's social grants. Some claim that a number of people with AIDS, who upon severe illness can qualify for a temporary disability grant, stop taking their antiretrovirals out of fear that they might forfeit the grants once their state of health improves.
Several anecdotes suggest that patients with HIV, AIDS and TB might be defaulting on their treatment for fear of losing their temporary disability grants should they get better. Some of these anecdotes further allege that some people might even go as far as exposing themselves to the HI virus.
Dismissed health workers will offer their services to Khayelitsha's Site B health facility in the morning following an interim interdict by the Cape High Court ordering the health department to restore reasonable functioning of services in the area.
AIDS activists and their lawyers are gearing up for another battle in court in an attempt to force the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) to commit to the humane treatment of HIV-positive prisoners.
Four weeks ago, we reported that Defence union, SASFU is taking the South African National Defence Force to court over what it calls 'discriminatory policies' on HIV/AIDS. This week, we hear how the union argues in court papers that the SANDF has made HIV a career-limiting factor for positive members and recruits alike.
'Consensus' is the theme of the third South African AIDS conference, which opens in Durban today (5 June) and, for the first time ever, it appears that agreement is possible between government, scientists and AIDS organisations on a wide variety of issues.
The lack of public sector antiretroviral programmes is no longer the reason why many HIV-infected people in Africa will die prematurely. A chronic shortage of staff to administer these programmes has now become the greatest challenge to saving lives.
An independent 'ombudsman' to monitor patients' access to health care has been mooted by the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) ahead of its three-day public hearings on health services.
The Health Products Association ' the umbrella body for the complementary and alternative medicines industry - has criticized the government for failing to create regulations the industry.
A lack of guidelines regulating the multi-billion rand complementary medicines industry makes it difficult to control against false medicinal claims. This places consumers at the mercy of charlatans who claim that they can cure AIDS and other conditions.
Medecins Sans Frontieres' (MSF) flagship antiretroviral programme in Khayelitsha is taking strain and has been forced to put patients on waiting lists as nurses and doctors struggle to cope with the growing demand.
The South African Security Forces Union filed court papers against its employer, the South African National Defence Force, this week. The union seeks to challenge five SANDF policies which it says discriminate against HIV-positive soldiers.
