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Why are so many newborns and foetuses being abandoned in landfills and velds in...
While discoveries like these rarely make the news, it happens all the time. We asked leading forensic pathologist Shakeera Holland what her team found after studying remains at the Diepkloof Forensic Pathology Service in Soweto.
Health Beat #29 | Baby Saver boxes: Lifelines to moms or criminal tools?
Baby Savers South Africa is taking the government to court over the ban on baby boxes in Gauteng. Are they a harmful tool that makes child abandonment and trafficking easy, or a lifesaver for mothers with nowhere to turn? With about 3 500 babies abandoned unsafely each year, Health Beat looks at whether a maternal support grant could help change that.
Health Beat #28 | Why are thousands of babies dumped each year in SA...
Every year, hundreds of newborns and foetuses are found dumped in the open veld, dumps and public toilets.Abandonment is often because of a lack...
The toxic storm brewing in Soweto’s Snake Park
As climate change intensifies, a toxic legacy grows more dangerous in Soweto. Residents living beside an old mine dump face health problems as more floods and heatwaves worsen the dangers of mining pollution.
Health Beat #27 | Not enough jobs for state doctors — what does that...
South Africa is producing more doctors than ever, but many can't find jobs in the public sector — even though hospitals need them. The Health Beat team examines options for newly qualified doctors in a country where youth unemployment is at an all-time high and Trump’s funding cuts spell doom and gloom.
Health Beat #26 | Why teens self-harm — and how to help them stop
It’s a shocking reality: most children in our country feel they need mental health support — that’s according to Unicef. Health Beat finds that depression and anxiety, especially in teens, are playing out in complex ways like self-harm.
Health Beat #25 | Will SA’s new climate change laws save our beaches —...
The Health Beat team visits a community suffering the health effects of living near mine waste and finds out whether our new Climate Change Act will make a difference to those affected by air pollution.
Health Beat #24 | Why does SA treat drug addiction as a criminal, rather...
Health Beat examines South Africa’s drug policy and finds out why policing and health are operating in silos, instead of following our National Drug Master Plan.
Health Beat #23 | What the NHI could be — if run well
Our Health Beat team takes you on a tour of some Gauteng hospital success stories — from an NHI-like project, the Chiawelo Community Practice in Soweto, to the lifesaving cardiothoracic surgery unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.
Health Beat #22 | Aaron the Outspoken: Do all roads lead to NHI?
Compromise isn’t a word favoured by the Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, when it comes to rolling out universal healthcare, despite objections from some of the ANC’s coalition partners. Mia Malan sits down with Motsoaledi to find out how he plans to deliver National Health Insurance amid legal challenges, little money and a system that needs fundamental fixing.
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.
Health Beat #20 | Shades of Life Esidimeni: How the Gauteng government makes up...
Social development budgets in Gauteng have been steadily declining, from R2.13-billion in 2022/2023 to R1.9-billion this year. Non-profit organisations say funding they’ve relied on for years is halted without adequate explanation, leaving some of them with no option but to close, and residents with no alternative care.
Health Beat #19 | Would you live next to this toxic dump?
Section 24 of the Constitution says all South Africans have the right to clean and safe living environments. But if they’re not getting that, to whom do they turn in the face of illegal dumping, toxic waste, sluggish local government and politicians chasing the popular vote? Health Beat finds out.
Health Beat #18 | 3 decades and 6 ministers: How is SA’s healthcare system...
From struggles and scandals to feats and forward thinking — South Africa’s health system has seen it all over the past 30 years. In this month’s Health Beat, we ask public officials, activists, health workers, legal experts and ordinary citizens to look back on how things have changed — and what it means for the future of healthcare in the country.
Health Beat #17 | Why corruption isn’t a victimless crime
In theory, the National Health Insurance (NHI) could transform our failing healthcare system. But, many South Africans have little faith in the politicians who are supposed to look after the public purse. We take a look at how the residents of Tembisa cope with the results of corruption at their hospital, the systems that private medical aid schemes have in place to curb fraud, and how the planned NHI could benefit from being more transparent.
Health Beat #16 | Why the upcoming Tobacco Bill treats e-cigarettes like smokes
Are e-cigarettes healthier than traditional smokes? The vaping and tobacco industries would have us believe that they are, but doctors and researchers are sceptical. We find out why young people are getting hooked on nicotine-enhanced fruity flavours — and break down the potentially deadly consequences.