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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.

The preventable trauma of COVID childbirth

Opinion Mary Fitzgerald -
A new global investigation has documented, in at least 45 countries, “shocking” and “unnecessary” breaches of laws and World Health Organisation guidelines intended to protect women and babies during the pandemic.
Fewer than 15 countries on the continent fund more than half of their national immunisation programmes.

Looking to invest in health? Here’s how to make the most of it

Opinion Folake Olayinka -
Every dollar spent on vaccines brings a 16-fold return on investment — and up to $44 for every dollar if broader benefits are taken into account.
Life: Pelagie Nyirambarushimana and her child Francine Niyonshuti at the Central University Hospital of Kigali. Rwanda has made drastic improvements in reducing child mortality.

Good health without the fear of ruin

Opinion Agnes Binagwaho -
Twenty years after the genocide, Rwanda’s health system is showing drastic improvements.
Unequal: Only 16% of the population have medical schemes and private healthcare. The rest must make do with public hospitals when they fall ill.

Restore medical aids to good health

Opinion Elsabe Conradie -
Private healthcare is meant to support public health, but it must be kept in check.
Former miner Masiko Somi and his wife Magumede are part of the class action suit that looks to hold the gold mining industry accountable for its impacts on workers' health.

Court case could force gold industry to pay out miners’ daughters and wives

Opinion Thabang Pooe and Dean Peacock -
A high court has ruled that compensation to women who have to take care of sick miners could ease the gendered harms imposed by the industry.
Research on carcinogens in the environment led to tobacco laws that helped to decrease the number of smokers in South Africa.

Letters to the editor

Opinion Staff Reporter -
The M&G Health Journalism Centre would like to hear from you. Letters should include the name and address of the writer. Send to [email protected].
A new online tool lets you calculate your chances of falling pregnant via IVF.

Scars of conflict: ‘We should not forget Africa’s women’

Opinion Ngo Bibaa Lundi -
Community health workers are bringing healthcare to the homes of HIV-infected pregnant women in rural Cameroon. It has saved many babies.
Many cultures have used cannabis as a medicine

It’s high time we make cannabis available for medical research

Opinion Charles Parry, Bronwyn Myers and Nandi Siegfried -
Medical regulatory bodies must be guided by solid evidence rather than pressure from recreational users pushing for the legalisation of the drug.
A woman and her children in a village in Niger. A child born in 1960 had an 18% chance of dying before his or her fifth birthday. Today

100-million young lives saved by aid

Opinion Bhekisisa Team -
Aid may often be criticised, but it works, says the Gates Foundation.
No man’s land: People gather behind a barbed wire fence in a temporary settlement on the Myanmar border. When governments fail, aid organisations step in. But who should they report to? (Ye Aung Thu, AFP)

The price of aid: Who is watching whom?

Opinion Menelaos Agaloglou -
When governments fail and health systems falter, aid agencies take over. But who holds them accountable?
Telling compelling stories: Amy Green

Crack journalistic team driven by the prospect of telling the continent’s stories

Opinion Staff Reporter -
With its expansion to the rest Africa, the Bhekisisa health reporting team is growing.
Drumming therapy can help to reduce anger and tension and increase a sense of wellbeing.

African rhythms heal around the globe

Opinion Nicola Plastow -
Nicola Plastow looks at some of the settings in which African drumming has been used to improve mental health.

Africa’s COVID-19 coronavirus research must be tailored to its realities – by its own...

Opinion Monique Wasunna -
Trust is essential in the pandemic and scientists here can set the priorities that make the most sense for our people.COMMENTResearch to find a...
Surviving the process of childbirth is still a battle for many women in Africa.

Birth, a measure of progress

Opinion Babatunde Osotimehin -
Reducing maternal and newborn mortality has to be a priority if Africa is to reach its potential.

Past, present and future: What should be shaping Africa’s COVID-19 response

Opinion Winnie Byanyima and John Nkengasong -
The World Health Organisation estimates that Africa will need up to 25-million respirators monthly. We must ensure that essential medical supplies such as these reach all of our communities. Now, is the time for the continent to leverage existing HIV services to boost COVID-19 testing, isolation, contact tracing and treatment.

What will the future of COVID-19 testing look like?

Opinion Kaymarlin Govender, Ayesha BM Kharsany, Gavin George and Sean Beckett -
Our COVID-19 response can take a leaf out of our HIV strategy book. For a start, to focus on testing people in the hardest hit districts and concentrate on vulnerable populations.
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