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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.

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Surviving the process of childbirth is still a battle for many women in Africa.

Birth, a measure of progress

Reducing maternal and newborn mortality has to be a priority if Africa is to reach its potential.
Junior doctors lives stand still as they wait to be paid after the human resource staff failed to capture their details to the payroll system on time.

Doctors must be taught how to be better counsellors on lifestyle choices

People who smoke and drink too much, don’t exercise and eat unhealthily are likely to suffer from non-communicable diseases, such as heart disease.
Khetukthula Hlongwane was told at her local clinic to buy her own ARVs because it had run out.

Why has Gauteng run out of ARVs?

Patients go without key drugs as the province and suppliers trade blame for antiretroviral shortages.
Truth serum: The M&G Bhekisisa centre aims to avoid disseminating myths.

Ignorant reporting can be lethal

As the fallout regarding misinformation about vaccines and antiretrovirals shows, words can kill.
We can get polio out of Africa this year and out of every country in the world in the next several years, say Bill and Melinda Gates.

Gates Foundation makes ‘Big Bet’ for the future

Philanthropists Bill and Melinda Gates released their annual letter on Thursday. In it, they predict what the world would look like by 2030.
Allocations for healthcare are set from an inequitable base that predates 1994. This means that rural areas continue to be inadequately provided for in the government's budget.

Economic policy: The poor still lose

Allocations for healthcare are set from an inequitable base that predates 1994. This means that rural areas continue to be inadequately provided for in the government's budget.
Over-treatment of malaria can lead to an unnecessary waste of antimalarial medication.

Why over-treating malaria in Africa is a problem, and how it can be stopped

Malaria medication is being accidentally wasted on other conditions.
Educated girls have children later in life and are less likely to die during childbirth.

Education is the foundation for young girls’ future

Along with better access to health services and reducing child marriage, education can save many lives.
At least one in four children in Africa is still not receiving the vaccinations they need.

SA must close the immunisation gap that parallels class

Vaccines take centre stage in times of crisis but outside of public health emergencies they do not always get the attention they deserve.
Despite a strong HIV programme response

#AIDS2016: HIV is a social issue and requires a new tack to end the...

The government needs to spend much more on nonmedical interventions, and that comes down to changing the way people interact.
An estimated 6.8 million people in South Africa are HIV positive.

HIV fight requires wisdom

The health minister and UNAids are jumping the gun by not consulting activists.
Depression and anxiety are common amongst TB patients and a UCT study says counselling is needed to keep sufferers on treatment.

Collective will can curb TB epidemic

Widespread tuberculosis awareness campaigns can rein in its increasing transmission rates.
Skin cancer places a burden on the South African healthcare system.

The cost of skin cancer: South Africa is spending more than it should

Sunny weather in South Africa makes skin cancer a risk for many people.
It takes an average 26 weeks to analyse the alcohol blood test results from the time they are dispatched by a police station.

Promoting good health makes cents

The establishment of a health promotion body in SA would save lives — and billions of rands.
The United Nations will bring together 192 countries for the fourth high-level meeting on tuberculosis in 2018.

#Unmask TB stigma with a selfie

Fearing social rejection, many patients don't seek treatment. To show your solidarity, don a surgical mask and post a selfie on World TB Day.
South African patients qualify for HIV treatment if their CD4 count – a measure of a person’s immunity – is 350 or lower.

A chink in the armour of HIV

Media reports about HIV-infected people being cured of the virus should be read with caution but could these cases give us clues about an antidote?