The rollout of a drug resistant tuberculosis (TB) regimen that is shorter and has reduced side effects is expected in 2023. In May, the World Health Organisation (WHO) approved a new six-month regimen, that slashed treatment time by a third.…
Antiretroviral therapy (ART) has turned HIV into a manageable chronic condition. When ART is working effectively, HIV cannot be transmitted. This allows people with HIV to live fuller lives without the fear of infecting others. It’s also led global HIV…
Experts have warned South Africa could experience its 6th wave of COVID-19 by the end of September and are urging South Africans to continue getting vaccines and booster shots. Professor Hannelie Meyer, Head of the South African Vaccination and Immunisation…
As more South Africans succumb to non-communicable diseases, the Healthy Living Alliance (HEALA) has called on the health department to finalise the regulations relating to front of package food labels. Diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and some cancers are…
As medico-legal claims continue to pile up in hospitals across the country, Bloemfontein’s Pelonomi Hospital is no different with several accounts from dissatisfied patients painting a grim picture. Not too long ago, the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) warned…
The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for pandemic preparedness in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with vulnerable populations. LMICs face a double burden during pandemics because they are often last in line to access available medicines and vaccines to reduce…
In South Africa, reports of xenophobic incidents are a daily reality. Now migrants using the country’s strained public health system is a hot-button issue as impartial access to healthcare has recently become highly politicised. Operation Dudula’s anti-migrant protestors targeted the…
The challenges South Africa’s healthcare system faces cannot be blamed on migrants seeking treatment at the country’s facilities, said Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla. Speaking outside Kalafong Hospital in Atteridgeville, Pretoria, Phaahla admitted poor management, maladministration, staff shortages, and corruption…
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…
As the country marks Women’s Month this August, there is a driven female making waves in the world of biomedical engineering. Boitumelo Lekhoe’s passion is tangible as she explains how she got into engineering and how she’s encouraging young girls…
As xenophobic sentiment appears to mount in SA, Kalafong Hospital management has taken legal steps to stop Operation Dudula members from preventing undocumented migrants from accessing healthcare. Hospital management told Health-e News on Friday they have an interdict to stop…
South African children will have to wait until next year for the rollout of the child friendly, ‘sweet-tasting’ antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, despite this new 4-in-1 combination receiving the green light. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) approved the…
Minister of Health, Dr Joe Phaahla, confirmed South Africa’s fifth monkeypox case earlier today and expressed concern as the numbers continue to rise. “On Wednesday, the 17th of August, we received a report from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases…
Xenophobia in South Africa has spilt over into the health sector, with some foreigners afraid to visit local clinics and hospitals. A Zimbabwean woman, Yolanda Dumpson, shared her traumatic birthing experience at a public hospital in Johannesburg last year. Pregnant…
Climate change continues to have a major negative physical, socio-economic and ecological impact on South Africa. Experts say that the nation is yet to experience these effects under all climate change scenarios. Understanding what climate change means and how it…