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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 benefits associated with eating placenta are thought to be the result of the nutrients

The world needs midwives, now more than ever

May 5 is International Midwife Day: a day to acknowledge the vital impact midwives have on maternal health in South Africa.
NHI: GPs polled want to work part-time.

Doctors give NHI a qualified thumbs up

GPs with their own practices are interested in working for the NHI scheme – with caveats.
New life: Will the NHI bring a glimmer of hope for rural patients?

Take care over the next hill

What, if anything, does the private healthcare sector have to offer the rural poor?
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.
Bhekisisa bagged five awards at the Discovery Health Journalism Awards on Wednesday night. From left: Amy Green, Mia Malan and Ina Skosana

Bhekisisa: Our health journalism centre is here

The Mail & Guardian has launched its health journalism centre, Bhekisisa. You can find all the details here.
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.
Bhekisisa bagged five awards at the Discovery Health Journalism Awards on Wednesday night. From left: Amy Green, Mia Malan and Ina Skosana

Bhekisisa: Help us choose a winner

One of our reader letters will win a one-year digital subscription to the Mail & Guardian. Help us decide who deserves it.
Lesotho is battling to find ways of paying the specially trained HIV and TB counsellors who help people with the virus to adhere to the antiretroviral treatment.

Funding crisis looms large

HIV counsellors play a vital role in Lesotho's health system, but the money is running out.
Tuberculosis is still the number one cause of death in South Africa.

TB cannot be kept behind bars

World TB Day is on March 24: We look at plans to curb the disease's spread – in prisons and beyond.
South Africa can reap substantial gains by learning from and collaborating with Brazil

SA should use Brics membership to strengthen research

South Africa has a lot to learn about efficient and effective ways to approach health research and policy, suggests John Ouma-Mugabe.
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.
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

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].
Nearly 80% of first-line ARVs used in the developing world are produced in India

Cheap drugs a bitter pill for the West

A global squabble over property rights could see the price of medicine soar in poor countries.
The benefits associated with eating placenta are thought to be the result of the nutrients

Expanding contraceptive options for SA’s women

The long-acting implant contraceptive Jadelle is being made available at 50% of its original price to women in developing countries.
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.
Helen Keller epitomised triumph over adversity

The right to life – and death

However much we abhor the idea, the choice is personal and should be respected.