Author: Njih Favour
Ritshidze, the world’s largest community-led monitoring system, is in jeopardy following the cuts to U.S development aid announced in January. Established in 2019, Ritshidze monitored service delivery and the availability of essential medicines at over 450 clinics in 25 health districts across eight provinces in the country every quarter. Its purpose is to document, report and escalate service delivery issues at primary health facilities. The findings are published in reports that are publicly available. But now, the entire system is at risk. “We had to retrench more than a hundred people and are left with a quarter of the community…
The first 1 000 days of a baby’s life are vital, as their brain’s neuroplasticity is at its peak. (Photo: Shutterstock) News & Features 23rd October 2025 | Janet Heard South Africa’s health department is overhauling its framework for disability services. It prompts an important question: When it comes to Cerebral Palsy – a wide-ranging motor disorder with possible comorbidities – what could a standardised package of baby care look like, especially within an overburdened public health system? Spotlight explores a collaborative approach in Cape Town aimed at optimising development during the critical first 1 000 days of life. Sometimes,…
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has launched an investigation into the alleged mistreatment of a woman during labour at Addington Hospital in Durban. This follows a social media post claiming that the woman was forced to walk to the labour ward while in labour, resulting in her baby falling onto the floor. The post was accompanied by a photo of a woman wearing a hospital gown standing in a hospital hallway with what appears to be the body of a newborn baby on the floor next to her. “We are deeply troubled by allegations that a patient in an advanced…
The Treatment Action Campaign’s General Secretary Anele Yawa speaking at the release of a Ritshidze report. (Photo: TAC) News & Features 22nd October 2025 | Adiel Ismail Ritshidze, South Africa’s powerhouse community-led healthcare monitor, is on the brink of shutting down. Experts warn its collapse could unravel years of progress in our clinics – just as worrying new data points to a decline in HIV services. Tucked away in a modest office in the heart of Johannesburg’s Central Business District lies the nerve centre of the world’s largest community-led health monitoring system. It’s from here that the Ritshidze team has…
Illegal mining has scarred the landscape of Thabo Village, Duduza in Ekurhuleni. Over the years, illegal miners have dug out sand to resell, leaving behind rows of open craters or pits that have become death traps. The rainwater that collects in these holes has become a playground for children from nearby communities who swim in these pits. In the past six months, four children have drowned after attempting to swim; the most recent were two children, both aged five, who drowned at the beginning of October 2025. Now, residents are demanding that urgent action be taken to prevent further tragedy.…
A Free State community is up in arms and demanding justice following the death of a young woman who was refused care at Bophelong Clinic in Welkom. On the morning of 7 October, 17-year-old Mpho Vanessa Staal woke up not feeling well. She had severe stomach cramps and decided to visit Bophelong Clinic in Thabong, Welkom. But after waiting for about an hour to be seen, the nurses said she wasn’t sick. They accused her of being an attention-seeking teenager, saying she should just go and take care of herself at home. Mpho loved acting. (Photo: Supplied) This is the…
The key idea of the Mentor Mother Programme is to engage capable women in the task of improving the lives of families in their own communities. (Photo: Supplied) News & Features 20th October 2025 | Sue Segar Mothers and babies in South Africa can easily fall through the cracks and end up going hungry and not getting the healthcare they need. Sue Segar spent time with an innovative project that is helping thousands such women and kids in parts of the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. Their model has been adopted by organisations in several other countries. In a large…
17 Oct Khanyisile Nkuku: Revolutionizing Healthcare Access while Bridging Science and Humanity Posted at 14:20h in News & Updates by Ntokozo Msiza Picture a young girl watching her parents navigate the daily maze of diabetes management- checking blood glucose levels, calculating insulin doses, searching for affordable medications, and hoping that tomorrow’s treatment will be accessible. In that quiet observation lies the seed of a revolution, the birth of a leader who would one day shape healthcare policy for an entire continent. Read the full article Source link
15 Oct SAHPRA and HPCSA sign MOA to streamline Collaboration Posted at 09:40h in News & Updates by Ntokozo Msiza Pretoria, 15 October 2025 – The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on 18 August 2025 for five years. The main objective of this MOA is to enable collaboration and cooperation between the two bodies to promote the health and well-being of all South Africans. The signing of this MOA signals the following: Information-sharing and collaboration to protect South Africans, in terms of receiving…
What began as a horrific road tragedy has now morphed into a pharmaceutical crime mystery. Authorities are investigating how bags packed with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs and other prescription medication ended up among the wreckage of a bus that overturned on the N1 near Makhado in Limpopo on Sunday, killing 43 people and injuring 48 others. Officials say the discovery of unlabelled buckets containing large quantities of ARVs and other medicines has raised serious alarms. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has confirmed that a probe is underway to determine whether the drugs were part of an authorised consignment or were…