Videos

South Africa’s drinking water comes from rivers and dams, but it’s cleaned at water treatment works. Here’s how it’s done.

If the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill is passed in its current form, your medical aid will disappear in its current form. It’s not clear how the NHI will be funded, but raised taxes will be unavoidable — and the scheme will likely want your medical aid premium.

Imagine finding out you have cancer but your medical aid won't cover your treatment because of another health condition. This was the case for Louise Turner just as she was starting a new job. Our TV team takes you to see what cancer care looks like in two health systems — one public and one private.

Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital’s radiation waiting list gets longer each year because of too few staff to operate life-saving cancer equipment. This episode of our monthly television show, Health Beat, puts these problems to the health department. Mia Malan asks if the National Health Insurance scheme can fix the country’s broken health system.

Soft drink manufacturers in SA have been paying a “sugar tax” since 2018 to encourage them to decrease how much sugar goes into their drinks. We show you how to calculate the sugar tax paid on a can of Coke in this short video.

A new study from hospitals in South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania shows the number of women who die because of bleeding after vaginal birth can be slashed by more than half. Watch this video to find out how.

Health workers, this is your cheat sheet to detecting and treating #cholera in your patients. Watch this video for the details.

How would you feel if you visit a clinic because you’re sick, but the doctor or nurse who helps you, laughs at you, rather than treats you? That’s the kind of treatment Luyanda Mzimela and Viyonce Mabena frequently get. Our TV team paid them a visit.

When health workers discriminate against people with a higher chance of getting HIV, the virus spreads like wildfire because such groups become less likely to use health facilities. Our Health Beat team asked transgender people about the service they get at government clinics and the health department about what happens to a doctor or nurse who refuses to help patients.

Cholera is caused by bacteria that normally comes from the faeces of an infected person. Here’s how you can protect yourself.

Losing weight is hard. For many people, diets and exercise don't work in the long term. Genetics can also play a role in people’s body weight (and their ability to lose it). In this month’s episode of our television show, Health Beat, we speak to two people who've used the weight loss drug, semaglutide.

Spend a day with Dylan Bush, Bhekisisa’s production and multimedia manager, and see what it takes to keep things running smoothly behind the scenes.

With plans to lower the tackle height in rugby around the world, why is the governing body for rugby considering it? Put simply, the lower the height, the lower the risk of head injury. Watch for more.

Through asking critical questions, our content editor, Linda Pretorius, works with our reporters and writers to interpret study results and unpack them in easy-to-understand language. She loves putting science into easy words, and helping policymakers, researchers and reporters to do the same. Here’s how she works.

From scouring science journals to social media, Mohale Moloi does whatever it takes to find a great story. Here’s how a typical day goes for Bhekisisa’s Health Beat producer.

Ozempic contains a synthetic version of a hormone our bodies create. It is used to treat diabetes but also reduces the appetite of people who use the drug. Watch this for more.