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…
A recently launched report by the Rural Health Advocacy Project (RHAP) places a spotlight on possible corruption within the National Health Insurance (NHI) fund. The report highlights critical gaps in the health sector’s procurement and spending, and a lack of…
In 2020, Grace Kasongo*, originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, gave birth at Steve Biko Academic Hospital. Following a stay of four days, she was billed R110 028, an amount she could not afford to pay. After informing the…
A year-long investigation into operations at the Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital (RMMC) has confirmed mothers slept on floors, the CEO was largely absent from duty and patient dignity was compromised. Releasing a report on the conditions at…
Pregnant women and non-South Africans are often denied free healthcare services, and the numbers are rising. This is according to SECTION27’s latest online publication, ‘ Free healthcare services in South Africa: A case for all mothers and children. This…
A political storm has erupted in South Africa after a video went viral showing the health minister for the Limpopo province – which borders Zimbabwe – berating a Zimbabwean woman who was seeking healthcare. Responses have been divided. Some have…
When one family member is diagnosed with diabetes, it can be extremely difficult to help them switch to a new, healthier diet. Many factors need to be considered and questions answered. Can you afford to make the nutritional changes? What…
Nine-year-old Busiswe used to struggle to read, write and spell. All she needed was an eye test and a pair of glasses but eyecare is not easily accessible in the rural part of Mpumalanga where she lives. Busisiwe’s story is…
Three years of fundraising has finally paid off for the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital which now boasts a newly-upgraded emergency centre. The Children’s Hospital Trust’s fundraising team raised a total of R122 million and the Western Cape government…
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has expressed alarm at the number of medico-legal claims brought against the Limpopo Department of Health which amounts to a staggering R14 billion. Although worried, the human rights watchdog is hardly surprised since…
A new Ritshidize report has opened up yet another can of worms and this time it’s key populations who have been abandoned by the public healthcare system. The reported titled ‘State of Healthcare for Key Populations’ , which took 18…
Many pregnant mothers in South Africa have experienced a form of obstetric violence – a specific type of violation of women’s rights in medical practice during health care related to the child birth. At 23, *Nthateng discovered that she was…
