Health
Death with dignity not only a debate for developed countries
Desmond Tutu's support for assisted dying made headlines across the world this week, and brought the debate into the mainstream in South Africa.
Daneel Knoetze
News | 15 July 2014
The Week in Political Activism
This week we report arrests at a health demonstration in the Free State, the African Union’s recent move to immunise leaders from war crime prosecution, and an upcoming school infrastructure reform conference.
Michelle Korte
News | 10 July 2014
Open letter to the Social Justice Coalition
Counsellor Ernest Sonnenberg has written an open letter to Phumeza Mlungwana, General Secretary of the Social Justice Coalition (SJC). This follows the report published by GroundUp on the SJC's toilet mapping initiative.
Ernest Sonnenberg
Opinion | 10 July 2014
“I love what I do, but there are many problems as well.” - a community health worker’s story
A Delft South community health worker (CHW) had no choice, but to take two weeks unpaid leave after sustaining a serious back injury while bathing a patient earlier this year.
Barbara Maregele
News | 9 July 2014
Activists call for fair employment conditions for community health workers
Community health workers (CHWs) are an essential link between communities and the often confusing health-care system. There are about 70,000 of them countrywide. They do a myriad tasks: visiting and assisting frail people at their homes, educating people about HIV and TB, and much more. But their conditions of employment are beset with problems.
Barbara Maregele
News | 9 July 2014
Project to map Khayelitsha’s toilets could improve sanitation
Two organisations have teamed up to map public flush toilet locations in Khayelitsha. They will launch an interactive website and phone-based reporting system to improve efficiency in toilet maintenance.
Michelle Korte
News | 8 July 2014
The week in political activism
This week we cover the availability of generic drug-resistant tuberculosis medication in Khayelitsha, a worldwide anti-corruption campaign taken up by Corruption Watch, a parents’ camp hosted by Equal Education, and an upcoming school infrastructure reform conference.
Michelle Korte
News | 3 July 2014
New contraceptive is so popular that stocks are running dry
Such was the demand for a newly-introduced female contraceptive implant that stocks ran dry in the Ilembe district a week before the month's end in April. After stalling for three weeks, the programme restarted when stocks were replenished in the second week of May.
Ruth Atkinson
News | 3 July 2014
Help! People are breathing here
Breathing air that does not damage health is one of the most important constitutional rights. But some municipalities on the polluted Mpumalanga Highveld are battling to enforce the Air Quality Act, writes Robyn Hugo.
Robyn Hugo
Opinion | 1 July 2014