The African > Health

China’s Peace Ark arrives in South Africa with lessons for Africa

Fri, 30 Aug 2024 04:00:00 GMT

By David MonyaeChina’s naval hospital ship, the “Peace Ark” arrived in South Africa for the first time since its commissioning in 2008. It will be based in South Africa for seven days to provide medical services and its highly specialised medical teams will administer treatment in local hospitals and engage in academic exchanges on traditional Chinese medicine in the Confucius Institute for Chinese medicine at the University of the Western Cape.

Scale up Mpox response, health groups urge

Tue, 27 Aug 2024 06:45:00 GMT

Health activists and organisations are urging an intensified response to the Mpox outbreak in Africa, where the virus has infected thousands and caused hundreds of deaths. – Picture: Wikimedia commonsBy Ana VračarThousands of people across Africa have been infected with the Mpox virus, resulting in hundreds of deaths and the ongoing spread of the disease.

Popular Mobile Clinic brings health to communities in Zambia

Tue, 09 Jul 2024 06:45:00 GMT

SP Health Department nurse Mable Tubaaka conducts educational sessions on women’s health, Luangeni Constituency, Eastern Province, Zambia, 10 June. Prompted by the experience of a recent cholera outbreak, the Socialist Party of Zambia launched a mobile clinic in the effort of making healthcare more accessible to everyone.

Another opportunity to address deep-seated inequality

Sat, 25 May 2024 06:00:00 GMT

President Cyril Ramaphosa signs the National Health Insurance Bill into law in Pretoria. Ramaphosa, correctly, has identified the core problem we need to overcome: health inequality. He emphasises the struggle for a National Health Insurance as emblematic of a broader fight against systemic inequalities rooted in race, class and gender, the writer says.

NHI resistance driven by anti-working class agendas

Sun, 19 May 2024 09:39:00 GMT

President Cyril Ramaphosa signing the NHI into law at the Union Buildings in Pretoria on Wednesday. Right-wing parties advocating against labour interests and hard-won achievements do so to appease their capitalist funders, the writer says. – Picture: Kamogelo Moichela / IOL / May 15, 2024By Alex MashiloBetween the economy as the base and the state, including the government, as the superstructure, much focus in the text that dominates economic policy debates is on the superstructure.

Why I support the NHI

Sun, 19 May 2024 09:30:00 GMT

President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill which directs the transformation of the South Africa’s health care system to achieve universal healthcare coverage for ALL. Many employed South Africans contribute towards medical aid subscriptions for years. However, when they become unemployed, they no longer can afford the medical aid subscriptions and must use the public healthcare, the writer says.

Gaza’s health workers and patients face unprecedented mental health crisis

Wed, 01 May 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Devastation in Gaza. MSF reports a severe mental health crisis among health workers and patients in Gaza, caused by relentless Israeli attacks and destruction of healthcare. – Picture: Fuad Khamash / PRCSBy Peoples Health Dispatch“We are alive, but we are not okay,” says Dr Ruba Suliman, describing the reality faced by health workers in Gaza during a conversation with Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

One year of war: Sudan faces dengue concerns

Wed, 24 Apr 2024 13:15:00 GMT

Sudanese refugee camp in Chad, May 16, 2023. Public health concerns in war-torn Sudan continue to escalate with the destruction of health infrastructure, widespread displacement and hunger haunting the population. – Picture: Henry Wilkins-VOA / Wikimedia CommonsBy Peoples Health DispatchDengue fever has added to the list of concerns faced by Sudan, more than a year after the beginning of the civil war that has caused one of the world’s largest displacement crises.

Cholera still poses risks in Zambia despite decrease in cases

Tue, 20 Feb 2024 07:00:00 GMT

Picture: Hanay, CC BY-SA 4. 0 , via Wikimedia Commons Women drawing water from a well in Zambia. A deadly cholera outbreak in Zambia continues to endanger lives despite a reduction in confirmed cases. The government and public health authorities need to carry out more public health education programmes and improve living conditions that have facilitated the outbreak in the first placeBy Peoples Health DispatchZambia is facing its largest cholera outbreak in at least a decade, with over 600 deaths. . .

Concerns grow over global cholera trends

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 13:15:00 GMT

Picture: Médecins Sans Frontières / File – A Zimbabwean child is treated for cholera. The number of cholera cases worldwide continues to grow, with countries in eastern and southern Africa being the most heavily affected. Experts call for improving access to hygiene and clean water and are concerned about the shortage of vaccines, the writer says.

'Brain drain’: Capitalism fails healthcare in SA – NHI is the solution

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 09:30:00 GMT

Picture: HAITU / X (formerly Twitter) / Taken on March 28, 2023 Healthcare workers march to the office of the Gauteng Premier, demanding permanent employment and better working conditions. Every year, thousands of healthcare workers leave South Africa, to chase better opportunities, as wealthier countries exploit the desperate working conditions they face.

NHI a step in the right direction to address inequality

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 06:10:00 GMT

Picture: ANA file – Long queues are a common sight outside South Africa's public hospitals. The ANC cannot afford to alienate its chief ally, Cosatu. Nor can it simply abandon a plan that is designed to rid the country of an unequal health-care system that discriminates on race, class, gender, nationality and geographical lines, the writer says.

WHO resolution calls for unimpeded flow of aid into Gaza

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 03:15:00 GMT

Picture: Giuseppe Cacace / AFP / Taken on October 19, 2023 – Humanitarian aid provided by the United Nations is loaded onto a United Arab Emirates Air Force aircraft at Dubai International Airport on October 19, 2023. On December 10, the World Health Organisation board adopted a resolution calling for immediate free-flowing humanitarian assistance for Palestine.

SA makes progress in fight against HIV/Aids

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Picture: Doctor Ngcobo / African News Agency / Taken November 30, 2023 – South Africans join the world in commemorating World AIDS Day, which is marked on December 1 every year, to show support for people living with and affected by HIV and Aids, and to remember those who have lost their lives to the pandemic.

Pandemic Treaty continues to negate principles of equity and justice

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 06:00:00 GMT

Picture: via Peoples Dispatch – The 5th meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) of the WHO. Pandemic Treaty talks face hurdles as equity concerns, corporate dominance, and calls for fair health frameworks remain unaddressed. By Jyotsna SinghThe seventh round of intergovernmental negotiations (INB 7) for the Pandemic Treaty recommences on December 4.

The Junk Push: ultra-processed food industry gains ground in India

Mon, 30 Oct 2023 12:30:00 GMT

Picture: Abhisek Sarda/Flickr – A recent report details how aggressive marketing strategies are influencing Indians to consume more ultra-processed food (UPF), colloquially known as junk food, and therefore undermining the health of thousands, the writer says. By Peoples Health DispatchThe burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India is unrelenting.

SA needs comprehensive psychosocial support services

Sat, 14 Oct 2023 08:22:00 GMT

Picture: Ayanda Ndamane/African News Agency (ANA) - The world is marking Mental Health Awareness Month during October. By Ratidzo C. MakombeMental health has become an important aspect of understanding individuality, self-care and self-awareness. The second Annual Mental State of the World Report (2021) published in March 2022 ranks South Africa as one of the worst countries when it comes to issues concerning mental health.

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Women demand access to abortion via strong public health systems

Fri, 29 Sep 2023 04:15:00 GMT

Picture: Aktiv – Protesters holding placard reading “What’s the cost of reproductive rights?” during March 8 rally (International Women’s Day), Zagreb, Croatia. On September 28, health and women’s rights activists have mobilised to demand universal access to safe abortion and an end to the persecution of reproductive justice advocates, the writer says.

Vaping’s deceptive allure

Sat, 02 Sep 2023 02:30:00 GMT

Picture: Nhlanhla Phillips/African News Agency (ANA) - Vaping has morphed into a peer pressure mechanism, coercing young individuals into adopting the habit to fit in with a specific group, writes the author. By Dr Anthony KaziboniIn a world where trends come and go faster than the swipe of a finger, one trend that has captured the attention of adolescents and young adults worldwide, and in South Africa, is the use of electronic smoking devices (ESDs).

National Health Insurance Bill: Pros and cons

Wed, 05 Jul 2023 03:45:00 GMT

By Larisse PrinsenLast month, the South African National Assembly passed the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill. From there, the Bill will be sent to the National Council of Provinces and if also passed there, it will be signed into law by the president. This process may, however, still take years to complete.

NHI: Moving forward in interests of all South Africans

Sun, 02 Jul 2023 03:15:00 GMT

File picture: African News Agency (ANA) -The passing of the Bill paves the way for the government to create the mechanism for the NHI fund, its corporate governance structures, single-payer single fund, strategic purchasing by the fund, accreditation of service providers, and establishment of the contracting unit for primary healthcare.

Cholera: a game-changer in history

Wed, 21 Jun 2023 02:00:00 GMT

Picture: Jacques Naude / African News Agency (ANA) / Taken on May 22, 2023 – The Deputy Minister of Water and Sanitation, David Mahlobo, and Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, briefs the media at Jubilee hospital on the cholera outbreak in Hammanskraal. By Anthony TurtonThe public was recently shocked to hear of the loss of life due to cholera in the Hammanskraal area.

SA: Uncaring state shirks duty over quality maternity care

Sat, 17 Jun 2023 08:12:00 GMT

The state of health care continues to drop every day and the poor bear the brunt of this.

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Little accountability in the time of cholera

Thu, 08 Jun 2023 03:00:00 GMT

By Kim Heller

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60 years of Cuban international medical solidarity

Mon, 29 May 2023 07:15:00 GMT

By Peoples Health Dispatch Staff

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Reducing harm in healthcare for quality health

Mon, 29 May 2023 06:45:00 GMT

By Mohambry Nadesan (Morgan) Chetty

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Malawi’s success with prevention, treatment can’t be ignored

Sat, 27 May 2023 06:00:00 GMT

By Maria Konokhova

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‘Education is key to protect Africans from HIV’

Thu, 25 May 2023 02:00:00 GMT

Picture: Brendan Magaar/African News Agency (ANA)/April 14, 2023 – Stellenbosch University's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences launches brand new Biomedical Research Institute in Western Cape, South Africa. The key to preventing the growth of HIV cases in Africa is to educate people who are unaware of the dangers posed by cultural practices, such as female genital mutilation and child marriage, so that people can protect themselves and their communities from the virus’s spread, Kenyan expe. . .

Socialist Movement of Ghana calls for urgent public health response to new malaria threat

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 02:30:00 GMT

Picture: ANA files – Hassana Ousmane rests her head against the bed where her 21-month-old daughter Zeinab, suffering from malaria and diarrhoea, rests at the Princess Marie Louise Children's Hospital in Accra, April 25, 2012. The invasive, malaria-transmitting Anopheles stephensi mosquito has been detected in Ghana for the first time, the writer says.

Who is really to blame for failing healthcare?

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 03:00:00 GMT

Picture: Oupa Mokoena/ African News Agency (ANA)/Taken April 11, 2023 – Operation Dudula in partnership with Sisonke People's Forum, All Truck Drivers Forum Allied of South Africa (ATDFASA) and Voice It In Action (VIIA) protest against the extension of ZEP permits outside the North Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, South Africa.