Old TB treatments result in deafness and death
At a recent global TB meeting, some doctors felt it is justified to keep giving old, toxic medicine to drug-resistant TB patients – but thankfully South Africa is offering a new drugs. At the Union Conference on Tuberculosis and Lung Disease held in the Hague…
Everyone deserves a proper and safe toilet
A toilet is one of the most important places that is normally taken for granted. We all take note of the importance of a toilet when nature calls and we are pressed to relieve ourselves. Annually, 19 November is World Toilet Day which highlights the…
Depression is real, but can be beaten
“I’m depressed, I’m losing it,” those close to hip-hop star Jabulani Tsambo aka Hip-Hop Pantsula (HHP) reported that this is what he said a few days before he died. They described how he spoke of hopelessness and the feeling of his life was spiraling out…
The Kochon Prize awarded to Motsoaledi matters
A radio station once dedicated an hour to honour a veteran journalist who was going on retirement. Admirers and well-wishers called the station to share their stories of his great works and how the journalist changed their lives. Some people who tuned in after the…
Mental Health: It affects all of us
It is estimated that one in every three South Africans suffer from some form of mental disorder. This disturbing figure sometimes churns through my mind when I walk on our three campuses and look into the faces of passing students, usually smiling at me in…
Women in rural areas require support to beat breast cancer
I recently visited home, in the rural areas of the Eastern Cape. My heart was flooded with sadness when I came across an old woman with a wounded breast, it was as if a rotten-fungus manifested on her pinkish breast. Her left breast had wet…
Policies needed for food security and nutrition
World Food Day takes place annually on 16 October providing an useful opportunity to reflect on the state of food and nutrition in South Africa. Unfortunately, there is much cause for alarm. South Africa has high levels of hunger and food insecurity. It also presents an…
One man’s weeds is another’s meal
At a recent workshop that we hosted at the first Postdoctoral Conference of Southern Africa, the social and cross-cultural beliefs that may prevent the maximum utilisation of weeds as potential food sources were under the spotlight. One of the aims of this workshop was to…
SANAC CSF calls for redirection of health financing
The SANAC Civil Society Forum (CSF) welcomes the release of the NHI Bill and supports the objectives of the establishment of the NHI fund. Our submission to the NHI Bill is outlining our support and some changes we would like to see being included in…
Watch out for warning signs of teen suicide
Almost one in ten teenage deaths in South Africa every year are the result of suicide. Up 20% of high school learners have tried to take their own lives. However suicides rarely happen without warning, and learning and recognising these signals is the most effective…
We can’t fight obesity without ending fat shaming
It’s Wednesday at around 5am and, just like the two previously days, I forced myself awake long enough to convince myself to go to gym. Honestly, I don’t like exercising, but I do love how I feel afterwards when I’m high on endorphins. I head…
Challenges of Universal Health Coverage will be great, but not insurmountable
The topic of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is a weighty one, even more so in the African context, given the challenges and opportunities that arise in implementing it. The high personal cost to citizens, who must pay excessive fees for quality health-care services, is well…
Mangena’s Toons
