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[READ]: The second presidential health compact — and full report
On 22 August South Africa’s second — and highly controversial — presidential health compact was signed by the government and various sectors. The second compact is controversial because prominent organisations that served on the steering committee of the drafting of the first compact refused to sign it.
How one woman set up a mental health helpline for the whole of South...
Zane Wilson founded the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag) in 1994, in the midst of her own debilitating struggle with panic disorder. Thirty years later, the group is the largest and most impactful mental health organisation in South Africa. Bhekisisa’s Sean Christie found Wilson and several of Sadag’s staff in a proud and reflective mood.
3 tricks Big Tobacco uses to stop SA’s anti-smoking Bill from becoming law
On Wednesday, Parliament’s newly appointed portfolio committee on health sat to discuss the proposed new Tobacco Bill for the first time since the government of national unity was formed. In 2021, more than a quarter of South Africans older than 15 used tobacco. We break down three tactics Big Tobacco uses to stall the Bill’s approval.
Shunned: The hidden cost of speaking out about Life Esidimeni
An inquest has found that Gauteng’s former health MEC, Qedani Mahlangu, and former head of mental health, Makgabo Manamela, can be held responsible for the death of Christine Nxumalo’s sister, Virginia Machpelah. Nxumalo was one of the first Life Esidimeni family members who spoke out about the death of a loved one. But it came at a devastatingly high cost. Here’s why.
Death trap: Timeline of the Life Esidimeni tragedy
The findings of a legal inquest set up to decide whether there is enough evidence to prosecute Gauteng health department officials and workers of nonprofits for criminal charges, will be released today. The inquest revolves around the unnatural deaths of 141 out of 144 government mental health patients who died when they were transferred from private psychiatric hospitals in Gauteng, Life Esidimeni, to community organisations.
#Aids2024: 4 sets of data — which one does the government use to track...
The world has 18 months left — until the end of 2025 — to reach targets countries like South Africa signed up to in 2021. So where’s SA at? That’s tricky to answer, because the country uses four different ways to track this — and the numbers are not the same. We break down which set of data the health department uses to report to UNAids and what the other sets are for.
How climate change is making us sick — and rich countries don’t want to...
Climate change is affecting the way in which we’re producing food and how polluted the water we drink and the air we breathe are, but only about one in three governments pointed out the impact of climate change on their citizens’ health in their yearly United Nations Debate statements last year.
PINs and pills: Are vending machines the answer to contraceptive stockouts at clinics?
Government clinics often run out of contraceptive medicines, which has been the case since 2015. The latest Stop Stockouts and Ritshidze report shows that...
There’s a new way to test kids for TB — but the NHLS cyberattack...
Around 10% of South Africa’s 280 000 TB cases in 2022 were in children. But because it’s so difficult to diagnose the disease in this group, four in ten kids with TB aren’t treated. Researchers at the National Health Laboratory Service were planning to test a new way to find the bug in kids later this month — until a cyberattack put a spanner in the works.
How much does public transport save on carbon emissions? We worked it out at...
How much does cutting down on carbon emissions, by doing things like using public transport, walking or cycling to get to places, really save? COP29 was a good place to find out. Our team tracked their steps and calculated how much carbon they emitted — and saved.
Yogan Pillay, SA’s healthcare’s insider outsider
Yogan Pillay has worked under every health minister since 1994, making him the ultimate healthcare insider. Now he’s an outsider, but one with tremendous influence. Sean Christie visited him at home in Pretoria to hear what he’s been up to.
Find out which province might spend the most on medical negligence claims
The government is facing close to R78-billion in medical negligence claims, which is nearly 80% of the budget used to treat people when they’re sick. But not all of the cases are legit. Find out what the data reveals.
[PODCAST] Will Trump cut funds for SA’s HIV programmes?
On 20 January, Donald Trump will be inaugurated as the new US president — for the second time. An international HIV expert says a Trump administration will question South Africa’s decades-long partnership with the US government’s Aids fund, Pepfar.
Players, coaches and teams: Here’s how men could help SA score an HIV goal
South Africa needs to get more than 550 000 HIV-positive men on antiretrovirals before the end of next year to help the country meet its targets for ending Aids by 2030. But in the past it’s been difficult to get men to take up — and stay — on HIV treatment. Could building an all-male sports-like team with a coach help solve it?
Health Beat #21: Eight years later — what does psychiatric care look like after...
Has psychiatric care in our government health system improved eight years after Life Esidimeni during which 141 mental health patients died because of negligence? Health Beat visits a community mental health organisation, talks to Section27, the Gauteng government and a counselling organisation, Heal SA, to find out.
Waste, food and power: How hospitals fuel climate change
Almost 5% of the world’s carbon emissions come from the healthcare sector. Rethinking how hospitals run and deal with waste can get this figure down. But South Africa’s healthcare workers say regulations are stopping them from doing this — and so playing their part in slowing climate change.