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Prison’s long shadow: Stigma haunts former convicts

Mental Health, Our Health

The suicide of an ex-prisoner, who was allegedly stigmatised in his community because of his conviction, has left his mother reeling. A Northern Cape social worker has now called on communities to stop discriminating against those who have served their time for their crimes.

PolaoK
May 27, 2015

‘You’re fat’ doctors wrongly tell mother with post-pregnancy hernia

Our Health, Women's Health

A mother of five in Limpopo alleges she has been sent from pillar to post for almost three years in her desperate attempt to get her hernia properly treated.

ndivhuwomusetha
May 26, 2015

Coping with childhood eczema

Health, Our Health

Thabitha Rakoma spent months trying to cure the dry patches of skin on her baby boy’s face until her local clinic diagnosed the problem.

tshilidzituwani
May 19, 2015

Clinic shuts doors, turns away woman in labour

Our Health, Women's Health

Nthabeleng Moloi alleges that Bethlehem’s Bohlokong Clinic closed its doors and sent her away after she arrived at the clinic in labour. She ultimately delivered her baby by herself.

Bontle Motsoeneng
May 11, 2015

Pneumococcal vaccine cuts hospitalisations by 70 percent

Health

New data shows that South Africa's expensive pneumococcal vaccine roll out has cut childhood hospitalisations due to meningitis, pneumonia and rotavirus by about 70 percent in just five years, according to Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi.

WHO ‘cannot continue as is’

Health Systems

Both WHO and new UN sustainable development goals criticised by Gates Foundation Global Partners delegates

kerrycullinan
May 6, 2015

Department of health spending millions on negligence claims

Health Systems

Multimillion-rand negligence claims against the Department of Health have increased nine-fold since 2013, according to Stellenbosch University professor Ethelwynn Stellenberg.

ayandamkhwanazi
May 6, 2015

Maternal mental health: Baby and bipolar

Mental Health, Our Health, Women's Health

Exams, pregnancy and a new baby – life for 17-year-old Busi Sibande* had been hectic, which is why her family thought nothing of her strange behavior until the new mum was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Study unearths high rates of violence against gay, bi-sexual students

Health, Men's Health, News

More than one in ten gay or bisexual male students report that they have been the target of campus violence because of their sexual orientation, according to the first national survey of sexual orientation and HIV risk on South African campuses released yesterday.

ayandamkhwanazi
May 5, 2015

Tshwane to upgrade Soshanguve clinic

Our Health

Construction to upgrade Soshanguve's Block JJ Clinic is expected to be completed by July. The clinic’s upgrade, which includes new buildings, comes after residents complained about poor infrastructure and long queues at the clinic, according to Lindela Mashigo, City of Tshwane director of media relations, communication, marketing and events .

mishackmahlangu
May 4, 2015

Antidote to poor health services?

Health, Health Systems

Horror stories about public health facilities have become common, but a new entity, the Office of Health Standards Compliance, has been set up to monitor standards and it has the legal muscle to force failing institutions to improve.

kerrycullinan
April 29, 2015

Man dies after alleged 12-hour wait for Natalspruit Hospital bed

Health Systems, Our Health

Bheki Mabuya allegedly waited 12 hours for a bed at the Natalspruit Hospital after being admitted with meningitis. Mabuya’s family has alleged that he died due to hospital negligence.

jamesthabo
April 29, 2015

Soweto students say college loos a stinking mess

Determinants Of Health, Health, Our Health

Male students at South Western Gauteng College’s Dobsonville campus say the technical school’s loos are a minefield of blocked toilets, stinking water and broken taps.

lungilethamela
April 28, 2015

East Rand woman takes sex ed into the classroom

Health, Our Health

In a country where about one in ten people are living with HIV, only about a quarter of young people know how the virus is transmitted. Nomthandazo Kumalo is trying to change that.

jamesthabo
April 27, 2015

Community dialogue reveals lure of drugs, crime

Health, Our Health

In the rural North West town of Makwassie, poverty continues to fuel drug use and crime, according to community members who recently participated in a mock debate as part of a community dialogue.

KagishoModise
April 24, 2015

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