Subscribe to Updates
Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.
Author: Njih Favour
The alarming rise in antibiotic resistant infections is of grave concern, particularly for infants. (Photo: Denvor de Wee/Spotlight) News & Features 29th April 2025 | Sue Segar Experts say bacterial infections are responsible for more infant deaths than is generally recognised, and things may get worse as more of the bugs become resistant to commonly used antibiotics. We asked local experts about this growing threat to newborns. A two-week-old baby is referred to the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital (RCWMCH) in Cape Town. The infant, who was born prematurely at six months, has come from a nearby neonatal hospital.…
Nontobeko* is a high school teacher in Khayelitsha, Western Cape. Despite having done the job for more than ten years, she dreads it every day. “Teaching has become a nightmare. We are not just educators anymore, we are counsellors, social workers and administrators all while trying to manage classrooms,” the 34-year-old tells Health-e News. In May last year, Nontobeko became so overwhelmed by the demands of teaching that she was admitted to a mental health facility for 21 days. “It’s too much. We teach more than 30 pupils in a class and have to deal with different behaviours from them.…
Sexual violence is a major crisis in South Africa. In the first week of April 2025 alone, 222 suspects were arrested for rape. But, research shows that many of the complainants in these cases won’t see the inside of a courtroom. Despite South Africa’s strong laws, many gaps in the system contribute to cases falling through the cracks. This is known as rape case attrition. A 2023 study on factors associated with rape case attrition in the South African criminal justice system, found that: 35% of cases were closed by police, 31% were declined by the prosecutors, 16% were enrolled…
The Limpopo Department of Health says it’s still investigating a male nurse over a social media post that sexualises children – nearly a month after a complaint was laid. The Vhembe-based nurse insinuates, in a comment made on Facebook, that he would forcefully have sexual intercourse with a minor child. The comment was made in the wake of reports of the alleged rape of a seven-year-old girl dubbed “Cwecwe”. In a complaint to the Health Professions Council, a rape survivor and activist who asked not to be named, wrote that: “These posts aren’t just offensive, they normalise the unthinkable. Suggesting…
How an SAMRC study found that HIV deaths in SA may be massively undercounted • Spotlight
A new study suggests that oft quoted data on what people died of is not showing the full picture. (Image: Anna Shvets/Pexels) News & Features 24th April 2025 | Chris Bateman It is widely acknowledged among health and demographic experts that relying solely on what is written on death certificates does not paint an accurate picture of what people in South Africa are actually dying of. Now, an SAMRC study has provided evidence that the undercounting of deaths due to HIV might be even greater than previously thought. Many in health circles were surprised by a recent South African Medical…
A number of legal challenges have been launched against the National Health Insurance (NHI), raising concerns about its constitutional validity, potential impact on the private healthcare sector, and financial sustainability. While the NHI aims to achieve universal access to quality healthcare for all, it has been widely contested and faced scrutiny even before President Cyril Ramaphosa signed it into law in May last year. We provide a breakdown of the legal challenges levelled against the NHI. South African Medical Association SAMA is an industry association with a membership of around 17500 medical doctors. Sections of the Act they have issues…
Francois Venter | Our HIV programme is collapsing — and our government is nowhere to be seen • Spotlight
Professor Francois Venter, a clinician researcher at the University of the Witwatersrand, is one of the foremost HIV research scientists in South Africa. (Photo: Supplied) Comment & Analysis 23rd April 2025 | Francois Venter We’re watching the largest HIV treatment programme in the world unravelling in real time. We don’t need perfection, but we do need a combination of urgency, action, and strategy to save it, argues Professor Francois Venter. We are about to see a wave of new HIV infections, sickness, and death, with children born infected in record numbers. We will see our public hospitals further overwhelmed, and…
Controversy and cautious hope collide as Masechaba Sesing heads up Free State health dept • Spotlight
Masechaba Sesing is the head of the Department of Health in the Free State. (Photo: Supplied) News & Features 22nd April 2025 | Ufrieda Ho With a new head, there is quiet optimism in some circles that a turnaround in the Free State Department of Health’s fortunes could be on the cards. Masechaba Sesing talked to Spotlight about her plans for the department. Interest in the appointment of the new head of department (HOD) at Free State health has churned with equal parts controversy, confusion, and cautious hope that the beleaguered department – in a beleaguered province – can steady…
Since 2022, the Eastern Cape has experienced annual heavy rains that have damaged almost 120 clinics and hospitals. This constant cycle of destruction and repair of these facilities has strained the already cash-strapped health department’s budget. Provincial health spokesperson Siyanda Manana says the severity and frequency of weather events appear to have increased over the past five years. “The provincial health department has not been spared from the harsh reality of climate change, with coastal districts being particularly affected,” he says. Destructive weather cycles In December 2022, 47 health facilities across five districts were damaged by storms and heavy rains.…
Patients will be able to receive health services at Tembisa Hospital while investigations into the cause of the fire that destroyed the accident and emergency unit (casualty) on Saturday continue. All other units at the hospital will be operational because of a continuity plan put in place by Gauteng health MEC, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, to ensure that healthcare facilities remain operational in times of disasters. Nkomo-Ralehoko briefed the media on Sunday evening after doing a walk-about at the burnt-down hospital unit. She reported that all 81 patients who were in the casualty unit when the fire started were unharmed. Some were…