Author: Njih Favour

Comment & Analysis 14th November 2025 | Spotlight Spotlight has launched a new HIV dashboard and graph generator based on outputs from the Thembisa model. Our hope is that this dashboard will help the public and people working in healthcare to find important HIV numbers more easily.  There is much reason for pessimism when it comes to healthcare in South Africa. Most provincial health departments struggle to file clean books, long queues and shortages of healthcare workers are the order of the day at many clinics, corruption is a pervasive problem, and in at least one high profile case, someone…

As calls for reforms in diabetes care mount, advocacy organisations are calling for a change in thelanguage used by healthcare practitioners. Diabetes South Africa says that labelling diabetes a lifestyle disease creates stigma against patients and leaves many blaming themselves for testing positive for diabetes. “There is a sense of judgment and condemnation patients feel when they hear that their lifestyle is what led them to being diabetic”, says Margot Mc Cumisky, national manager at DiabetesSA. Speaking to Health-e News at the sidelines of the Diabetes Summit held this week, she says a language shift starts with education about the…

Anyone can get sick with TB, as it is caused by bacteria that spreads in the air and mainly invades the lungs. (Photo: Silvio Ross/Pixabay) News & Features 12th November 2025 | Marcus Low Around 54 000 people died of TB in South Africa in 2024 and 249 000 fell ill with the disease, according to new estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). Around 54 000 people died of TB in South Africa in 2024, according to figures released on Wednesday alongside the WHO’s latest World TB Report. This continues a slow downward trend in TB deaths in recent…

12 Nov SAHPRA warns the public about GLP-1 products sold through social media platforms Pretoria, 11 November 2025 – The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) cautions members of the public against purchasing or using GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) products that are being promoted and sold on various social media platforms. These products are being promoted to assist with weight loss. SAHPRA has become aware of companies and individuals illegally marketing GLP-1 products online and falsely claiming to be affiliated with or authorised by SAHPRA and some of South Africa’s major retail pharmacies. The Authority wishes to clarify that these…

Health-e News An outbreak of typhoid fever has been reported in Hammanskraal [WATCH] An outbreak of #typhoidfever has been reported in Hammanskraal – a disease spread through contaminated food and water. Officials say it’s not linked to the area’s water supply, but many residents remain concerned about water quality and access. We spoke to a few people who shared their concerns. This post An outbreak of typhoid fever has been reported in Hammanskraal first appeared on Health-e News and is written by Faith Mutizira Source link

Salih Henricks, Dedoc Voice Member, Global Diabetes Patient Advocate Today, more than 40 years after my diagnosis, I live with the scars and limitations of diabetes complications – but also with the strength of survival, the wisdom of patience, and the joy of helping others.  My journey is not just about me. It is about every person with diabetes who feels unseen or unheard.  Diagnosis In 1982, when I was 12 years old, my life changed forever. It started with something that seemed simple: I couldn’t stop urinating – even after drinking a single glass of water. Sometimes I would…

Deputy Minister of Health Dr Joe Phaahla (left) with health MEC Sello Lehari (center) during an oversight visit at Mafikeng Provincial Hospital. (Photo: North West Department of Health/X) News & Features 12th November 2025 | Nthusang Lefafa Mafikeng Provincial Hospital, a critical public healthcare facility in the North West, is facing a slew of challenges from broken and faulty medical equipment, long waiting times for surgeries, to chronic shortages of skilled nursing staff. Nthusang Lefafa reports on efforts underway to get the hospital up to scratch. Mafikeng Provincial Hospital is ensnared in a web of systematic failures, according to a…

In 2007, while writing his matric exams, Eksoda Mazibuko from Hluvukani in Bushbuckridge faced a problem no one could explain. “The exam would be three hours long, and I’d need to go to the bathroom maybe three or four times. Sometimes I was scared to ask because I thought the teachers would think I was cheating,” he recalls. “They didn’t know I had diabetes, I also didn’t know at the time. I even wet myself a few times. It was tough, and I didn’t do well in school.” Needing to urinate frequently is one of the early symptoms of diabetes.…

Pharmacists are relatively more accessible than other healthcare professionals in South Africa. (Photo: Shutterstock) Comment & Analysis 11th November 2025 | Vincent Tlala Medicines are among the most powerful tools in healthcare, but they also come with risks. As we mark #MedSafetyWeek, Mr Vincent Tlala, registrar and CEO of the South African Pharmacy Council, argues that the safe use of medicines is a shared responsibility, and is not only up to pharmacists. We rely on medicines to prevent illness, manage chronic conditions, or save lives in emergencies. However, medicines can cause harm when they are not used as prescribed, when…

It’s a balmy afternoon in Mtubatuba, in northern KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), and the local taxi rank is abuzz with activity. Drivers are calling out their routes while others rev their engines, getting ready for departure to various destinations. Amid the noise of hooting taxis and hawkers selling fresh fruit, mielies, and takeaways, 54-year-old driver Dumisani Ngubane wipes his windscreen and looks toward a white mobile clinic parked a few metres away, the words “AHRI” displayed in bold blue along its side. Dumisani Ngubane utside AHRI mobile clinic. “Having this clinic inside the rank has made our lives so much easier,” he…