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Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has launched an HPV vaccine programme for grade four girls in all government schools.

HIV, ARVs and the cervical cancer vaccine

How SA women will benefit from an HPV vaccine, which the government will introduce next year, will strongly depend on the virus's link with HIV.

Love, sexts & the law: How good sex ed can protect your kids

In an age where more young people are having sex before the age of 15 than ever before, can we really afford to keep turning a blind eye to the birds and the bees? But good sex ed doesn’t have to pit religion against facts.

‘I skip meals to make my insulin last longer’: The problem with Big Pharma’s...

The price of insulin in the United States will drop dramatically but people in low-income countries, who spend close to 100% of their income on the life-saving medication, won’t benefit.

The world’s arms race against superbugs

It’s been almost 40 years since a new class of antibiotics was discovered. Do governments need to incentivise drug companies differently to get them to develop antibiotics to turn the tide against drug-resistant superbugs?
Free pads or free condoms? It's a false dichotomy when people with uteruses are the ones who need both.

​#AIDS2016: This common germ in your vagina makes it easier to get HIV –...

In the vagina's ecosystem, mundane bacteria matter more than you think.
Previous calls to decriminalise drug use

National HIV plan scraps calls to decriminalise drug use

Contraception may be finally coming to a secondary school near you.
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Is wearing a mask fogging up your glasses? Here’s how you can fix that

As lockdowns ease, more people are having to wear masks for longer periods of time. While they help reduce the spread of COVID-19, masks may also be causing increased irritation in your eyes. Find out why.
South Africa's Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi played a leading role in convening government heads at a United Nations meeting this week.

Think you’re going to opt out of the #NHI when it comes? Think again.

In June, the health minister released the long-awaited National Health Insurance Bill. What does it mean to you and your medical aid? We tell you.
Oncologists aren't the only thing in short supply. Doctors also complain of facilities with a dearth of gloves

Fears as Durban loses last state cancer specialist

Only two state cancer specialists remain in the province of more than 10-million people.
The Gauteng government has three months to pay families affected by the Life Esidimeni tragedy.

#LifeEsidimeni judge: ‘Government violated the Constitution’

The arbitration ruling specifies that both Constitutional and general damages have to be paid.

Did you see your psychologist over Zoom during lockdown? Telemedicine is here to stay

COVID-19 lockdown restrictions meant many therapist offices had to close and cancel in-person appointments. But doctors were able to use videoconferencing to support patients who got anxious, stressed out and depressed.
Nurse Pushing Wheelchair

At least half of Gauteng’s hospitals are without their top managers

At least half of Gauteng's public hospitals are without permanent CEOs. At least two appointed CEOs remain under investigations after alleged wrongdoing.
South African doctors are giving antibiotics to healthy patients

Undercover researchers went into doctors’ rooms. You won’t believe what they found

New research may finally tell us why SA is always among the first to sound the alarm over drug-resistant strains.
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The barcoding gap: Can South Africa protect its COVID jabs from crime?

Full track and traceability of COVID jabs won’t happen during South Africa’s vaccine roll-out, as the health department has not yet adopted the “overarching” system that would make this possible.
The researchers found that one in four public health facilities ran out of ARVs or TB medication over a three-month period in 2014.

Survey uncovers shortages in critical medication

A survey of stock levels of HIV drugs is in stark contrast to health department claims that "there is no shortage".
Families hold a vigil for Life Esidimeni patients. They may have warmed to Gauteng Premier David Makhura during the arbitration and meetings ahead of the proceedings

#LifeEsidimeni: What will the Gauteng government be forced to pay?

The families of the nearly 150 mental health patients who died in the Life Esidimeni tragedy will know today how much they will be compensated.