Author: Njih Favour
Families in the Free State have been unable to bury their loved ones due to an autopsy backlog. The Pheko family from Botshabelo buried their son and brother last week, after waiting three months for an autopsy. “The body of my brother was found in December and an autopsy was only done on 6 March. It still breaks our hearts that we had to wait so long,” Ramorena Pheko says. The Kanono family from Thaba Nchu in the eastern Free State has been waiting for almost three weeks to know their son’s cause of death. Thembani Kanono is yet to…
Innovative research on long-lasting anti-HIV treatments were showcased at the 2025 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. (Photo: Fernando Zhiminaicela/Pixabay) News & Features 20th March 2025 | Elri Voigt A single shot of a new formulation of the antiretroviral drug lenacapavir could potentially provide protection against HIV infection for as long as a year. Spotlight reports on this and some of the other exciting research on long-acting anti-HIV medicines presented at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections. Several new developments in long-acting therapies for HIV treatment and prevention were presented to delegates at last week’s Conference on Retroviruses and…
The cancellation of NIH funding to South Africa will hinder progress in developing new tools to fight HIV and TB. (Photo: Ahmad Ardity/Pixabay) News & Features 20th March 2025 | Catherine Tomlinson Medical researchers in South Africa are in limbo as they wait to hear whether over R800 million in research grants from the United States National Institutes of Health will be terminated. South Africa’s top universities, which receive the bulk of the funding, will be particularly hard hit if the cuts materialise. In another major shock to medical research in South Africa, research groups around the country have been…
South Africa, one of 30 countries in the world with a high TB burden, wants to intensify the fight against tuberculosis (TB) by increasing the number of people testing for the disease to five million over the next twelve months. This would be a significant increase from the 2.7 million tested in 2023. Speaking at the launch of the programme on Wednesday, head of the country’s TB programme Professor Norbert Ndjeka, says scaling up testing will help South Africa reach the target set in the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) strategy to end the global TB epidemic by 2035. “Modelling suggests…
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana holding a copy of the 2025 Budget Speech. (Photo: Parliament of RSA via X) Comment & Analysis 19th March 2025 | Charles Parry, Funeka Bango, Tamara Kredo, Wanga Zembe, Michelle Galloway, Renee Street and Caradee Wright While the 2025 national budget boosts health spending, researchers from the South African Medical Research Council stress the need for strong accountability measures. They also raise concerns about rising VAT and omissions related to US funding cuts and climate change. The 2025 budget speech by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana saw a welcome boost to the health budget with an increased allocation…
The recent launch of the Versius Surgical Robotics System at Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein has put the country and the Free State at the forefront of medical innovation. A first of its kind in Southern Africa, the robotics system is a state-of-the-art tool for minimally invasive surgeries. “The Versius system integrates cutting-edge robotic technology that enables surgeons to perform procedures with enhanced precision, reduced risk, and quicker recovery. This technology is expected to revolutionise surgeries across multiple specialities,” says Professor Freddie Claassen, head of urology at Universitas Hospital and the University of the Free State. “The introduction of this robotic…
This project is funded by: Parts of KwaZulu Natal (KZN) have been battered by heavy rains in recent weeks, causing more than R3bn in damage to infrastructure and claiming lives. In early March a state of disaster was declared to unlock resources needed to help the province recover. On the ground, residents are struggling to get by. Sanelisiwe Mkhize (23), a student at Mangosuthu University of Technology in Umlazi lost most of her belongings when the backroom she lives in was flooded in last month’s heavy rains. “The rain started on Friday night, 28 February, and I was up all…
Digital indluencer Zuki Lamani and FAST PrEP youth reference engagement facilitator Siwe Mphambaniso. (Supplied) News & Features 17th March 2025 | Biénne Huisman Elzette Rousseau from the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation told attendees at the top HIV conference in the United States about a project taking HIV prevention services to schools in Cape Town. Biénne Huisman visited one of the sites to find out how it works. Beside a cluster of gum trees at Woodlands High in Mitchells Plain, colourful trucks parked on the school grounds bring contraceptives, services for sexually transmitted infections, and three types of PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis)…
Residents of Muswani Village, in the Collins Chabane Local Municipality, in Limpopo’s Vhembe District are struggling to access basic health services because there is no clinic in their area. For more than 30 years the community’s pleas have fallen on deaf ears. A resident, who asked not to be named, says they’ve been asking for a clinic since the 1980s – but nothing has been done. “Our [ward] councillor promised to help, but now he is not interested. It is like they [government] are not taking us seriously.” The municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) shows plans to build a clinic…
Residents of Mbaula Ranch and Phalaubeni villages in Limpopo’s Mopani District have been waiting since 1996 for the Limpopo Department of Health to build them a clinic. The villages have grown to over 1000 households, and residents are raising concerns about prolonged healthcare neglect. Accessing healthcare is expensive. A round-trip taxi fare for the 14km trip to Makhuva Clinic costs R22. Frequently, they are referred to Nkhensani Hospital in Giyani, 58km away. This costs them almost R100 for a round trip. For the elderly, who rely solely on their SASSA pension grants, transport is a significant expense that forces them…