Spotlight NSP

09/11/2023

READ: In the context of weak economic growth, lower-than-expected tax revenues, and the implementation of measures to reduce public spending, there is “rising panic” ahead of this year’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS). The concern for health care provision is palpable as anticipated budget cuts threaten the country’s already fragile and understaffed public healthcare system. Section27 National Department of Health (South Africa) Public Service Accountability Monitor - PSAM Public Health Association of South Africa Budget Justice Coalition

In the context of weak economic growth, lower-than-expected tax revenues, and the implementation of measures to reduce public spending, there is a “rising panic” ahead of this year’s Medium Term Budget Policy Statement. The concern for health care provision is palpable as anticipated budget cu...

09/11/2023

Must READ: Dr Juli Switala has worked in hospitals around the world, and seen firsthand the challenges of treating kids with TB. Section27 National Department of Health (South Africa) Public Health Association of South Africa The Aurum Institute TB PROOF TB HIV Care People's Health Movement Biénne Huisman

Dr Juli Switala (42) has treated children in Nigeria, helped fatally ill patients during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, and delivered babies at a hospital in Afghanistan against a backdrop of upheaval and violence. But nowhere cuts close to her heart quite like Brooklyn Chest – the tuber...

09/11/2023

The latest report on the State of Health in the Free State published by community-led clinic monitoring group Ritshidze shows that the Free State is the worst-performing province in South Africa when it comes to giving people enough antiretrovirals to last several months at a time. Section27 National Department of Health (South Africa) Free State Provincial Government Free State Department of Health Public Health Association of South Africa TAC- KZN Treatment Action Campaign People's Health Movement South Africa

The latest report published by community-led clinic monitoring group Ritshidze shows that the Free State is the worst-performing province in South Africa when it comes to giving people enough antiretrovirals to last several months at a time. This means people living with HIV in the province have to....

01/11/2023

READ: Over the last decade, the National Department of Health (South Africa) has rolled out a range of electronic surveillance systems to monitor stocks throughout the country’s facilities. Many healthcare workers feel the new systems are making a positive impact, but stockouts persist due to a host of ongoing supply challenges.
Section27 People's Health Movement South Africa TAC- KZN Public Health Association of South Africa

Over the last decade, the National Health Department has rolled out a range of electronic surveillance systems to monitor medicine stocks throughout the country’s healthcare facilities, but stockouts persist due to a host of ongoing challenges. Jesse Copelyn takes a closer look at what is being do...

01/11/2023

READ: As a type 1 , first diagnosed only days away from slipping into a hyperglycaemic coma, diabetes education is close to Bridget McNulty’s heart. Biénne Huisman chatted to McNulty about living with the condition, starting South Africa’s largest online community, and what can be done to improve diabetes education in South Africa. Section27 Diabetes mellitus National Department of Health (South Africa) NCD Alliance UCT Faculty of Health Sciences
Francois Venter

As a type 1 diabetic, first diagnosed only days away from slipping into a hyperglycaemic coma, diabetes education is close to Bridget McNulty’s heart. Biénne Huisman chatted to McNulty about living with the condition, starting South Africa’s largest online diabetes community, and what can be do...

26/10/2023

The NFVF, in collaboration with the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, is inviting filmmakers to submit proposals for short documentary and fiction films highlighting the contribution of Unsung Heroes.
More info here: https://bit.ly/3Qu7eNp
Closes on 17 November 2023.

26/10/2023

MUST READ: SPOTLIGHT on National Health Insurance. Section27 National Department of Health (South Africa) People's Health Movement Public Health Association of South Africa Francois Venter

It is often enlightening to ask how and why certain services differ in the ways they do between the private and public healthcare sectors. By too rigidly focusing on the NHI Bill, argues Spotlight Editor Marcus Low, government risks losing sight of the many other interesting answers to this and othe...

26/10/2023

The Eastern Cape Department of Health has for years made headlines for the wrong reasons. These include overcrowded hospital wards, dilapidated infrastructure, food shortages, broken-down ambulances and dodgy tenders. In addition, the high number of medico-legal claims in the province has contributed to budgets being stretched to breaking point. Some have called for the department to be put under administration. Section27 Eastern Cape Department of Health Eastern Cape Health Crisis Action Coalition Eastern Cape Provincial Government

The Eastern Cape Department of Health have for years made headlines for the wrong reasons. A few weeks prior to her recent removal as head of the department, Dr Rolene Wagner made the case that the situation is being turned around. Tiyese Jeranji looks back at Wagner’s presentation at the Rural He...

26/10/2023

READ- Concerns around corruption and whether or not there would be health coverage for foreign nationals were two of the top talking points at a recent public hearing on the National Health Insurance Bill held in the Eastern Cape. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports. Eastern Cape Department of Health National Department of Health (South Africa) Eastern Cape Health Crisis Action Coalition

Concerns around corruption and whether or not there would be health coverage for foreign nationals were two of the top talking points at a recent public hearing on the National Health Insurance Bill held in the Eastern Cape. Luvuyo Mehlwana reports.

17/07/2023

Three years ago, it was still illegal for South African occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech therapists, and others offering rehabilitation services to provide virtual home visits, remote consultations, group and individual therapy, or do augmented supervision. Only doctors could legally consult via technological means – and only if another health professional was in the same room as the patient.

But times have changes – in part due to the pandemic – and in response to these changes, heads of various departments in our faculty, including Prof Quinette Louw, realised that students need focused, quality training.

The Stellenbosch University Telerehabilitation Initiative was launched in October 2020, through generous support by the faculty. Among others, advice was sought from two Australian universities with years of experience in running telerehabilitation clinics.

Now, we not only offer training to students, but also offer a short course in clinical and ethical telerehabilitation to health professionals.

READ MORE here: https://bit.ly/FMHS_Telerehabilitation.

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Drie jaar gelede was dit nog onwettig vir Suid-Afrikaanse arbeids-, fisio- en spraakterapeute wat rehabilitasiedienste bied om virtuele tuisbesoeke te doen, afstands-konsultasies en virtuele groep- en individuele terapie te verskaf of aangevulde toesig toe te pas. Net dokters kon wettiglik tegnologies konsulteer – en slegs as nog ʼn ander gesondheidspraktisyn in dieselfde kamer as die pasiënt was.

In reaksie op hierdie veranderinge het hoofde in ons fakulteit, onder andere prof Quinette Louw, besef dat studente gefokusde gehalte-opleiding nodig het.

Die gevolg was die totstandkoming in Oktober 2020 van die Universiteit Stellenbosch Telerehabilitasie-inisiatief, danksy gul steun van ons fakulteit. Raad is onder meer van twee Australiese universiteite met jare se ondervinding in die bestuur van telerehabilitasieklinieke ingewin.

Nou bied ons nie net opleiding aan studente nie, maar ook ʼn kortkursus in kliniese en etiese telerehabilitasie aan gekwalifiseerde gesondheidspraktisyns.

LEES MEER hier: https://bit.ly/FGGW_Telerehabilitasie.

17/07/2023

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

17/07/2023

New Publication Alert!

South Africa (SA) has an estimated HIV prevalence of 13.7%, with approximately 8.2 million people living with HIV (PLHIV) in 2021. Over one-third of the South African population resides in rural settings. Rural populations are characterized by disadvantaged socio-economic status, limited access to healthcare services, and poor infra- structure and healthcare resources, when compared to their urban counterparts. Siphamandla Bonga Gumede Samanta Tresha Lalla-Edward

Read more in the National Library of Medicine @ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37382825/

17/07/2023

READ: In May, Dr Magome Masike stepped into the role of CEO and registrar of the Health Professions Council (HPCSA ). Eight weeks into the job, Ufrieda Ho sat down to talk to him about his plans for the beleaguered institution. Section27 SA Medical-Association National Department of Health (South Africa) Rural Doctors Association of South Africa Rural Health Advocacy Project People's Health Movement Public Health Association of South Africa

In May, Dr Magome Masike stepped into the role of CEO and registrar of the Health Professions Council (HPCSA). Eight weeks into the job, Ufrieda Ho sat down to talk to him about his plans for the beleaguered institution.

17/07/2023

Currently, only about ten percent of patients are referred to psychiatric hospitals like Valkenberg Hospital in Cape Town. Read about Valkenberg's fascinating history. Mental Health South Africa Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness National Department of Health (South Africa) Premier Alan Winde

Due to policy shifts and the increased availability of antipsychotic medication, mental healthcare has become decentralised, with most patients being treated in primary and district health facilities nearest to where they live. Only about ten percent of mental health patients are referred to psychia...

17/07/2023

READ: South Africa’s shortage of public sector and has made headlines several times in recent years. This has implications for the treatment of schizophrenia in the public sector. Section27 National Department of Health (South Africa) Public Health Association of South Africa Psychology Today UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Mental Health Information Centre (MHIC)

South Africa’s shortage of public sector psychologists and psychiatrists has made headlines several times in recent years. This has implications for the treatment of schizophrenia in the public sector. But, as Thabo Molelekwa reports, the picture in the private sector is also far from rosy, with s...

06/07/2023

If you read only one thing this week, let it be this.
"This is what it feels like. You wake up. You go into the cold, hard world of the mortuary, into the mud, blood, and guts of it all and you have to find out what happened,” he says. “You know that, at the end of this, there are families. It’s about the pursuit of truth, the administration of justice, and closure..."
Section27 National Department of Health (South Africa) Wits Health Consortium Forensic Pathology Services (Western Cape) Forensics

Attending the Forensic DNA Symposium recently held in Cape Town where the vital role of DNA analysis in criminal investigations was highlighted, Sue Segar caught up with Professor Ryan Blumenthal, a senior specialist forensic pathologist at the University of Pretoria. Blumenthal was one of the speak...

05/07/2023

THIS IS A MUST READ:

Attending the Forensic DNA Symposium recently held in Cape Town where the vital role of DNA analysis in criminal investigations was highlighted, Sue Segar caught up with Professor Ryan Blumenthal, a senior specialist forensic pathologist at the University of Pretoria. Blumenthal was one of the speakers. He told her more about bearing first-hand witness to death and its causes at the autopsy table and what this can tell us about the society we live in. Section27 TEDx UniversityofPretoria
National Department of Health (South Africa) SAMRC Forensic Pathology Services (Western Cape)

Attending the Forensic DNA Symposium recently held in Cape Town where the vital role of DNA analysis in criminal investigations was highlighted, Sue Segar caught up with Professor Ryan Blumenthal, a senior specialist forensic pathologist at the University of Pretoria. Blumenthal was one of the speak...

05/07/2023

The 11th SA AIDS conference, recently held in Durban, highlighted the worrying fact that key HIV numbers such as treatment coverage are much lower in children than in adults. Here's what you should know about new treatment options in the pipeline. Section27 Treatment Action Campaign The Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation Youth Centre National Department of Health (South Africa) SAMRC Juliet Houghton UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Wits RHI Steve Letsike Ezintsha

The 11th SA AIDS conference, recently held in Durban, highlighted the worrying fact that key HIV numbers such as treatment coverage are much lower in children than in adults. But as Elri Voigt reports, conference delegates also heard about new treatments and guidelines that will make life easier for...