© Copyright Bhekisisa - Centre for Health Journalism | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions | Bhekisisa PAIA Manual
Inequality didn’t rise from hell: It’s man-made — and there’s nothing like a pandemic...
Why do pandemics such as Aids not automatically end when we have the medicine to control them? Because they play out in a world where inequality frequently prevents drugs from reaching the people who need it most, writes Mia Malan.
How to get ARVs delivered to your home in the rural Eastern Cape
In South Africa’s rural areas, people often face a long, arduous journey to get to a clinic where they can pick up their HIV medicines. Not taking the drugs regularly will mean that the person’s health suffers, which can make it even harder to make the trip. The Bulungula Incubator in the rural Eastern Cape has figured out how to set up a medicine pick-up point closer to people’s homes.
More food rations could devastate these refugees. Here’s why
Prevented by Bangladeshi authorities from working, refugees in the Cox’s Bazar camp are dependent on food aid, which is being cut again and again. “We cannot carry on like this,” writes Yasmin Ara.
‘There’s nothing un-African about being gay’: A mother’s plea for gay children’s right to...
In this moving account, an HIV activist describes her relationship with her gay son and her fears over Uganda’s homophobic bill that criminalises his sexuality.
‘She can’t discern jam from Vaseline’: Advice for the children of Alzheimer’s patients
In South Africa, a gene test that will tell you if you’re at risk for Alzheimer’s disease costs R3 600. But major organisations warn people against using these home kits without also getting counselling to help them work through the results — regardless of the outcome.
The forgotten form of TB that can carry on forever
Just like with COVID, there’s a long version of TB, called post-TB lung disease. This condition can emerge even after people with TB have finished their courses of treatment.
Why SA supermarkets should slash the price of these 10 foods by a fifth
The food industry will get a tax break to ease the effects of loadshedding on the cost of groceries. But there’s more that the industry can do to keep a basic basket of foods affordable, writes the head of the DG Murray Trust, David Harrison.
Poisoned production: The lead industry is booming – it’s just moved to poorer countries
The lead industry is funding researchers and United Nations bodies to paint its toxic products in a favourable light, says this expert, despite the evidence that lead exposure harms children’s development.
4 ways to make it easy to take the HIV prevention pill
The Aurum Institute is making it easier for people to access HIV prevention medication.Their project includes a screening tool and support groups, and has already reached over 100 000 people.
3 ways COVID sped up SA’s medicine approvals process — and how it can...
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) was forced to speed up its review of new medicines such as vaccines, while still ensuring that they were safe and effective.
Life Esidimeni should have fast-tracked – not frozen – SA’s mental health plans
The Life Esidimeni tragedy was the worst possible outcome for a move away from psychiatric care, but well-managed community-based mental health care is still a proven way to treat people’s mental illnesses with dignity.
Pushing up daisies – by becoming compost? How you can choose a greener death
Mainstream methods of burial need to be left in the past as they take a toll on climate change. According to researchers, leaving the body to naturally break down its organic matter until a heap of soil is all that’s left, should be more accessible.
A plea to parents: Listen to trans kids, not moral panics
The moral panic arising from unproven concepts such as rapid onset gender dysphoria (ROGD) has made trans lives unliveable. Despite the lack of scientific evidence, ROGD has bolstered claims that coming out as trans during adolescence is a sudden unhappiness about your birth-assigned gender brought on by a social trend.
‘Add human rights defender to your resume’: How Tlaleng Mofokeng uses medicine to treat...
When doctors treat women as people, rather than a collection of organs and ailments, the practice of medicine can be a powerful tool to restore people’s dignity.
What the field of psychology owes Black patients
Psychological research has mostly focused on white people. New research shows, however, that mental health support works better when it’s adapted to suit people’s cultural context.
The oldest trick in Big Tobacco’s playbook nearly derailed SA’s TB conference. Here’s why
The Foundation for Professional Development, one of South Africa’s oldest nonprofits and the main sponsor of the TB conference in Durban, accepted a R2-million research grant from an organisation that’s widely regarded as a front group for Philip Morris International.