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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.

Karoo dust, diet & diabetes: Why ‘lifestyle disease’ is an unfair label 

Diabetes is different from other non-communicable diseases, this author says. It can’t be spread in a literal sense — instead, it is often forced upon people by factors beyond their control. What happens when you have no say on your genetics or all you can afford is processed food?

Inequality kills: How race, money and power affect who survives COVID

The data from 440 000 COVID patients reveal that non-white people in South Africa were far more likely to die than their white counterparts. These researchers argue it’s not about genetics or biology.

A sarmie, a sweet and a cigarette? How to make sure Africa doesn’t become...

Smoking in the west is declining. So the tobacco industry is looking to untapped markets in lower-income countries to hook new smokers.

Could nurses track domestic violence from stomach pains and headaches?

The government had a plan to build domestic violence care into clinic services more than two decades ago – nothing ever came of it. Researcher Lisa Vetten argues it’s not too late to bring the long forgotten project back to life.

Find inner joy: Why this condom can take your sexual pleasure to new heights

The health department aims to distribute 40-million inner condoms per year to government health facilities. But orders from clinics and hospitals are so low that only 40% of this goal was achieved over the past four years. Here’s why.
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Mia Malan: Eight lessons COVID taught me about journalism

During a crisis such as the COVID pandemic, people have simple demands of the media: how to protect themselves, which government rules they have to follow, and what the future holds. Mia Malan gives eight lessons COVID holds for newsrooms.

#AIDS2022: What is the use of anti-HIV injections when those who need it most...

A new HIV prevention medicine could work even better than daily pills but if nothing changes it costs over R300 000 to treat one person for a year.
Medical student Inati Mcapazeli studies a chest x-ray at Cape Town’s Brooklyn Chest Hospital on World TB Day 2012.

Tackling TB: Three lessons the COVID-19 pandemic taught us

COVID-19 came with a lot of collateral damage that the world was unprepared for. Part of the pandemic ripple effect meant people weren’t able to access tuberculosis testing or treatment, derailing targets to end the disease. But there are also lessons to be learned along the way.
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The joke’s on us, South Africa. The cruel logic of Omicron travel bans –...

Wealthy nations were quick to ban southern African nations from entering their borders when the Omicron variant was identified – but not against each other. Unfortunately, this type of discrimination is nothing new.

Your A to Z guide on HIV: The top 10 things to know from...

The HIV pandemic isn’t going anywhere until a cure is found. In the meantime, these expert HIV clinicians say South Africa should protect its victories.

Disorganised documents: How bad record keeping will set back the NHI

The majority of South Africa’s public hospitals have a problem with tracking the costs of patient care, this study found. This poses a problem for the country’s plans for a National Health Insurance as hospitals could operate at a loss and face reimbursement challenges.

Bundle of jitters: How these community health workers are helping moms cope with the...

Pregnancy can be a time of joy - and sadness. Many pregnant women and mothers of infants in lower-income communities acknowledge feeling depressed during this time. Here’s how community health workers helped alleviate this.

A confusing COVID caseload: Why Africa’s missing numbers show a different side to the...

African countries are still struggling for COVID-19 vaccines. One reason for this is the misconception that the continent wasn’t hard-hit by the pandemic. But the numbers tell a different story.

From COVID vaccine hoarders to donors: Why rich countries shouldn’t just pawn off expiring...

Rich countries have an excess supply of COVID-19 vaccines. Now they’re either dumping or donating these close to expiring doses. But it takes a lot more to address the issues of vaccine inequity and the supply shortfall in poorer countries.

An inconvenient truth: The real reason why Africa is not getting vaccinated

Pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer have said low vaccine uptake in Africa is due to increasing hesitancy on the continent. But the truth is inequitable distribution of COVID vaccines have left Africa as a vaccine desert.

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.