To drum up support as South Africans head to the polls, President Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly vowed to "end the apartheid that remains in healthcare" when he hit the campaign trail. Professor Bob Mash has three health reforms on his wishlist for the incoming administration to prioritise. The post Three health reforms the new government must prioritise for SA appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

In response to high levels of codeine abuse in South Africa, health authorities have been developing a plan to track the supply of the drug from manufacturers all the way to patients. In this Spotlight feature, Jesse Copelyn explores why people get hooked on codeine, and how the new project could combat the problem. The post Codeine misuse: South Africa set to get new guidelines appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

A new lab promises to improve access to dental prostheses in the Eastern Cape, restoring thousands of smiles in the process. Dr Bulela Vava of the Public Oral Health Forum welcomes the development and argues that oral health should not be a privilege of the few. The post New lab a leap forward for oral health in the Eastern Cape appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

COVID-19-related factors resulted in several years of lower-than-normal rates of the flu, but experts say that is now something of the past. As this year’s flu season gets under way, Elri Voigt asks several local experts what their expectations are, which flu vaccines are available this year, and whether we should be concerned about new strains of bird flu. The post SA’s flu rates anticipated to return to pre-COVID-19 levels appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

In this hard-hitting open letter, SECTION27, Cancer Alliance and TAC activists argue that the Gauteng Department of Health has failed in fulfilling its obligations to provide radiation oncology services while over 3 000 cancer patients wait for treatment. The post OPEN LETTER | R784 million goes unspent as cancer patients continue to die appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

Elri Voigt unpacks the complex effect that HIV has on the kidneys, how HIV and chronic kidney disease has evolved after the roll out of anti-retroviral treatment, and what the situation is now in the country for people living with HIV and chronic kidney disease. The post Chronic kidney disease rates have dropped in people with HIV, but late diagnosis remains a serious problem appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

Heroin use has increased markedly in South Africa. Jesse Copelyn analyses the drivers of the crisis, the policies that could help curb it, and those that could make it even worse. The post SA is facing a fast-escalating heroin crisis – and it’s being misunderstood appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

That HIV can develop resistance to the drugs used to treat it is nothing new, but results from recent studies reveal the emergence of resistance in subsets of people living with HIV to dolutegravir – an antiretroviral widely used in South Africa. Top HIV experts spoke to Elri Voigt about the new findings and what it means for people living with HIV in the country. The post Widely used HIV drug in SA flagged for reports of resistance – but experts say don’t panic appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

Inequality shaping health outcomes, and how poor people are disproportionately affected by infectious diseases – these are driving passions for Cape Town epidemiologist Alex de Voux. The post ‘The science and research we do, ultimately it’s connected to your city, your country, and its people,’ says leading researcher appeared first on Spotlight ..read more

Luvuyo Mehlwana looks back at the performance of public healthcare services in the Eastern Cape over the last five years – a term characterised by leadership instability, infrastructure problems, financial short-falls, and of course the COVID-19 pandemic. The post Health services in the Eastern Cape: What changed since the last elections? appeared first on Spotlight ..read more