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Opinion

The Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Bhekisisa is one of only a few media outlets in the Global South specialising in solutions-based narrative features and analysis. We not only uncover problems but also critically evaluate the solutions meant to fix them. It’s an approach we also take with our opinion pieces.

What makes a good op-ed? What can I expect from the editing process? Who do I pitch a possible opinion piece to? Get the answers to all these questions along with some handy writing tips here before you make a submission.

A pandemic without an end: How systemic racism is hampering vaccine uptake

COVID vaccine roll-outs are missing communities of colour. This has been linked to distrust in health services among minority groups due to historical abuse. But that further victimises these communities. Here’s why racism continues to pervade the health system and breed mistrust.
woman tired file photo

South Africa’s coronavirus lockdown has us doing less — so why do we feel...

You don't have to run 5km to feel fatigued. Turns out stress and anxiety can also leave you craving a good lie-in, but could tips to cope come from an unlikely place — the diaries of a 1900s' sea captain?
Better prevention strategies are helping to stem the tide of HIV.

From medical circumcision to vaccines, these seven things will change HIV

We know more than ever about how to prevent HIV infection, including what may someday lead to the world's first HIV vaccine.
Women protest in Cairo in 2014. When activists have uteruses

Women’s bodies are the battleground for civil liberties

Female activists face persecution largely because their existence is an affront to the patriarchal nature of societies.
Community health workers didn't just provide at-home HIV testing. They went into schools to help teach young people sexual and reproductive health and encourage boys to get medically circumcised.

Too poor to care? The call for a minimum wage has exposed a sick...

Care workers may be the backbone of community health care but they sure aren’t paid like it

Travel bans are unlikely to stop the new coronavirus, but this might

Find out why global health diplomacy and soft power have a role to play in controlling outbreaks as the world charts more cases of the coronavirus COVID-19.

Why COVID-19 vaccines need to prioritise ‘superspreaders’

Controlling the spread of COVID-19 among the young may be a better way to protect the old, these experts argue.
Doctor

Are we prepared for the potential pandemic lawsuits against South Africa’s health system?

Society’s goodwill towards the health profession is justified, but in the face of doctors and hospitals having to make difficult decisions when treating COVID-19 patients it might not last for much longer.
Early adopters: Malawi has already begun using HIV self-testing as part of some clinical trials.

The promise and peril of do-it-yourself HIV testing

One in two people living with HIV still aren’t on treatment, could DIY testing be the solution?
Solidarity: Sanac says government must urgently address police abuse of sex workers including the use of the workers' possession of condoms

HIV vaccine – closer than ever

We are not there yet, but experts are optimistic about a jab to prevent HIV coming to market in the near future.
The situation of detainees in remand is so bad

Overcrowded jails deadly, inhumane

The situation of detainees in remand is so bad, it exceeds the punishment of incarceration.
Faux facts are travelling at lightning speed across the internet and they're bad for your health.

The rise of anti-vaxxer bots: Fake news is going viral — it’s bad for...

How do you outrun a lie when science shows misinformation spreads faster than fact?

Vaccine denialism kills: Mail & Guardian has let down its readers

Those who dispute that the COVID vaccines used in South Africa are safe and effective are just wrong.
community healthcare workers

The ups and downs of community healthcare

Often medical help comes too late for people in rural areas but community health workers could change this
Done with hiding in the bathroom: Demelza Bush has come to terms with the fact that she is neither a man or a woman.

Genderqueer: Existing outside the binary

When Demelza Bush was a little girl, she knew she wasn't. And they weren't a boy either.

Bad science goes up in smoke: Why smokers were never protected from COVID

Early pandemic research pointed to smokers not being at risk of severe COVID-19. This turned out to be false. Here’s why the slow pace of science means it’s easy for people to latch onto extraordinary claims despite a lack of strong evidence.