Author: Njih Favour
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. (Photo: GCIS)Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi’s recent claim that over half a million people have been newly started on HIV treatment in less than six months has raised eyebrows in health circles. In this open letter, Anna Grimsrud and Sibongile Tshabalala-Madhlala, associated with CHANGE – South Africa, ask the Minister to explain numbers that, on the face of it, seem contradictory. We write to you in response to your 15 May 2025 press statement and subsequent remarks in Parliament on the current status of the national HIV, AIDS, and TB campaign. You stated that…
A 30-year-old mother from Praktiseer near Burgersfort in Limpopo wants nurses at Dilokong Hospital to take responsibility for their alleged negligent treatment. Karabo Magabe says her baby, Onthatile, is lucky to be alive. (Photo:Supplied) On Thursday 8 May Karabo Magabe started getting contractions and was rushed to Dilokong Hospital. When she arrived at the hospital the doctor said she was experiencing false labour and wanted to admit her to the antenatal care ward. But Magabe tells Health-e News that she refused, as she knew was ready to give birth. She was admitted to the labour ward where she started to…
The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) stipulates that junior doctors should work 40 hours per week, with a maximum of 20 hours overtime, and rest periods, including a 12-hour break, between weekend shifts. However, in practice, these regulations are often ignored. In the country’s overburdened public health facilities, junior doctors routinely work between 80 and 120 hours per week. “While standard contracts may list 40 to 60 hours a week, this excludes the excessive overtime that is almost always required due to chronic understaffing,” Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa, chairperson of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), tells Health-e News.…
Aghmat Mohamed is the first male Director of Nursing Services at Groote Schuur Hospital, where he manages 1 700 nurses. (Photo: Biénne Huisman/Spotlight) News & Features 20th May 2025 | Biénne Huisman Groote Schuur Hospital’s first male nursing manager, Aghmat Mohamed, reflects on the pressures of nursing in South Africa. Ahead of International Nurses Day and the release of a major global report on the state of nursing, Biénne Huisman chatted to him about his decades on the front lines of healthcare. Nurses cradle new life with tender hands and soothe those at the end of it. Yet through tireless…
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major public health concern in South Africa, with over 8.2 million people reported to be living with the condition. According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa, hypertension affects around 45% of men and 48% of women over the age of 15. Despite its high prevalence, many people remain unaware of their condition. Shonisani Nephalama, nutrition lead at the Heart and Stroke Foundation, says only about 19% of men and 29% of women are aware they’re hypertensive. According to Nephalama, a staggering 91.1% of people with hypertension are either unscreened, undiagnosed, untreated,…
As rates of obesity continue to rise globally, a Lancet report seeks to expand how we view it. (Photo: Karolina Grabowska/Pexels) News & Features 19th May 2025 | Jesse Copelyn Authors of a recent Lancet report argue that obesity should not just be seen as a risk factor for other diseases – but in some cases, should be seen as a disease itself. The position could change how we treat obesity globally. In the first of this two-part Spotlight series, we break down the debate around the issue, and its implications for health policy. In 1990, just 2% of all…
by Tian Johnson, Strategist at the African Alliance. There is a line that should never be crossed, even in the heat of political pressure and public scrutiny. This week, South Africa’s Minister of Health, Aaron Motsoaledi, did just that. During a press conference, Motsoaledi likened civil society activists (many many of whom are queer, Black, working class, and on the frontlines of South Africa’s HIV response) to AfriForum — because they criticised his response to PEPFAR’s retreat from the country. Let’s be absolutely clear: AfriForum presents itself as a civil rights group, but has been widely described by legal experts,…
South Africa has not been able to raise any additional funds to plug the gap in the country’s HIV programme following the withdrawal of PEPFAR funding in January. Speaking at a media briefing in Pretoria on Thursday, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsaoledi says the department has met with various donors, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Clinton Health Access Initiative, to cover the R7.9 billion rand shortfall. “None of the donors we’ve been speaking to have made any commitments, apart from the Global Fund that has committed R1bn for ARVs,” says Motsoaledi. South Africa was a major…
South Africans have until 6 June to submit comments on the proposed regulations for the governance of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Fund. As per the NHI Act which was signed into law in May of 2024, the NHI Fund is the vehicle through which universal health coverage is to be achieved in the country. Among the functions of the Fund is to purchase health services on behalf of NHI users, set the rates for these services and ensure that service providers have the necessary registration or accreditation. The draft regulations on the NHI Fund’s governance sets out the structures…
Despite an incredible reduction in the number of babies who acquire HIV from their mothers, many are still getting infected in this way. (Photo: Ryan Graybill/Unsplash) News & Features 14th May 2025 | Elna Schütz Over the last two decades, South Africa made massive progress in reducing transmission of HIV from mothers to their babies. Even so, about 7 000 babies still contract the virus every year. Experts put this down to having the right puzzle pieces for prevention but failing to integrate them optimally. Around 7 000 infants in South Africa still contract HIV from their mothers every year…