Here’s how to make drug addiction a health issue, not a criminal one - Bhekisisa Experts say South Africa's contradictory approach to drugs — treating addiction as both a disease and a crime — is fuelling a worsening crisis in places like Westbury, where illicit drugs plague the…

When people lose tolerance after inpatient withdrawal programmes & return to drug use, #overdose risk spikes. Experts say #HarmReduction keeps users alive — because you can't recover if drugs have already killed you. bhekisisa.org/article/2026...

Here’s how to make drug addiction a health issue, not a criminal one - Bhekisisa Experts say South Africa's contradictory approach to drugs — treating addiction as both a disease and a crime — is fuelling a worsening crisis in places like Westbury, where illicit drugs plague the…

#Methadone treatment & needle exchanges are among the cheapest public health interventions. So why are public #HarmReduction clinics so rare in SA?

bhekisisa.org/article/2026...

Here’s how to make drug addiction a health issue, not a criminal one - Bhekisisa Experts say South Africa's contradictory approach to drugs — treating addiction as both a disease and a crime — is fuelling a worsening crisis in places like Westbury, where illicit drugs plague the…

Health policy says #addiction is a disease. Police say it's a crime. The result? Communities trapped in cycles of violence while lifesaving #HarmReduction programmes remain out of reach for most who need them. bhekisisa.org/article/2026...

The science on climate and lung health is mostly from high-income countries. In SA, TB, HIV-linked infections, and indoor cooking smoke make the story very different. Our guide explains what that means for reporters. bhekisisa.org/resources-fo...

SA has some of the world's highest thunderstorm rates. But there's no system to track thunderstorm #asthma — a rare event that sent 3 000+ people to hospital in Melbourne overnight in 2016. bhekisisa.org/resources-fo...

How climate change takes your breath away Every breath you take is shaped by the air around you. As South Africa's climate warms — at 1.5 times the global average — that air is changing, and the effects are landing directly in people's lungs....

Climate change isn't giving people asthma. But it is making it harder to breathe — by shifting the air, pollen and pollution people are already exposed to.

Here's what reporters need to know.

#HealthJournalism #ClimateAndHealth

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Pollen seasons are getting longer and more intense as temperatures rise. For people with asthma or hay fever in SA, that means months of worsening symptoms — and fewer breaks in between. #ClimateChange bhekisisa.org/resources-fo...

Hotter days "cook" gases from cars and factories into ground-level ozone — an invisible gas that irritates the lungs. For people with asthma, that means more wheezing, more often. #AirQuality #ClimateChange bhekisisa.org/resources-fo...

SA is warming 1.5x faster than the global average. That heat is changing the air — and it's landing in people's lungs. Our new journalist guide breaks down the science. #RespiratoryHealth bhekisisa.org/resources-fo...

Our LEN is here. Now for quality checks in Ireland - Bhekisisa SA’s first consignment of the twice-a-year anti-HIV injection, lenacapavir — 37 920 doses — arrived last week at OR Tambo Airport via two shipments from Dublin. The batches reached the country six…

Why test medicines after they arrive in a country? Because heat, transport problems or counterfeit products can affect quality. That’s why regulators test imported drugs such as #lenacapavir before patients receive them. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

SA is preparing to roll out anti-HIV jab #lenacapavir. But first, labs in Ireland must confirm the medicine is safe and effective before clinics start using it. Find out more from @miamalan in the latest #BhekisisaInYourInbox. mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

Our LEN is here. Now for quality checks in Ireland - Bhekisisa SA’s first consignment of the twice-a-year anti-HIV injection, lenacapavir — 37 920 doses — arrived last week at OR Tambo Airport via two shipments from Dublin. The batches reached the country six…

A shipment of the new six-monthly #HIV prevention jab, #lenacapavir, has landed in SA. But clinics can’t use it yet. Scientists first test samples to make sure the medicine wasn’t damaged during transport. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Eswatini has the world’s highest prevalence of HIV but the amount of lenacapavir reaching it is too small to cover all those at risk. Find out more in Nicole Ludolph’s pick for today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox, from the Guardian.

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Our LEN is here. Now for quality checks in Ireland - Bhekisisa SA’s first consignment of the twice-a-year anti-HIV injection, lenacapavir — 37 920 doses — arrived last week at OR Tambo Airport via two shipments from Dublin. The batches reached the country six…

SA’s first batch of the twice-a-year #HIV prevention shot, #lenacapavir, has arrived. But before clinics can use it, scientists must test samples to make sure the meds are safe and still work after the long journey to SA. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Our LEN is here. Now for quality checks in Ireland - Bhekisisa SA’s first consignment of the twice-a-year anti-HIV injection, lenacapavir — 37 920 doses — arrived last week at OR Tambo Airport via two shipments from Dublin. The batches reached the country six…

SA’s #lenacapavir has touched down. Before new medicines reach patients, regulators run safety checks. That will take about a month. The country’s roll-out is expected to start in mid to late May. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can talks save South Africa’s NHI from a courtroom war? - Bhekisisa Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance Act — to talk about “things we…

A psychiatric patient burnt to death because nurses couldn’t find the keys to the seclusion room in which she was kept, in time. What does the health ombudsman’s latest report tell us about the government’s ability to run the NHI? bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Our LEN is here. Now for quality checks in Ireland - Bhekisisa SA’s first consignment of the twice-a-year anti-HIV injection, lenacapavir — 37 920 doses — arrived last week at OR Tambo Airport via two shipments from Dublin. The batches reached the country six…

BREAKING: SA’s first batch of the twice-a-year HIV prevention shot, lenacapavir, has arrived. But before clinics can use it, scientists must test samples to make sure the meds are safe and still work after the long journey to SA.

bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can talks save South Africa’s NHI from a courtroom war? - Bhekisisa Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance Act — to talk about “things we…

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he’s willing to talk to critics of the NHI. But one thing, he insists, is non-negotiable: private medical aids cannot remain central to the system. “They have to be complementary.” bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can talks save South Africa’s NHI from a courtroom war? - Bhekisisa Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance Act — to talk about “things we…

All but 2 of 12 court cases against SA’s NHI are currently on pause. The Constitutional Court must first rule on whether the public participation process for the Act was fair. What happens next could reshape the future of healthcare in SA. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can talks save South Africa’s NHI from a courtroom war? - Bhekisisa Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance Act — to talk about “things we…

Is the government ready to negotiate changes to the NHI Act? Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with doctors’ group Sama — one of the organisations suing over the law. bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can Sierra Leone keep its mothers alive? - Bhekisisa It’s been a year since the US government’s aid cuts sent shock waves around the world. But in one maternity hospital in Freetown it’s the loss of UK funding that threatens to unravel years of steady…

The UK's Saving Lives in Sierra Leone programme was quietly axed — its remaining £17-million (R383-million) budget slashed to just £1-million (R22.5-million). Activities could wind down as early as March 2026. #SierraLeone #AidCuts

bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

What happens when funding runs out Sierra Leone has achieved something remarkable: since 2000, it has cut its maternal mortality rate by nearly 80%. That progress was built on sustained foreign aid — UK funding for midwives, contraceptives...

The moment Ian Temple stepped into English National Ballet’s studio, he stopped being just a patient. Among fellow spirits, he rediscovered his sense of joy and agency.

Read Anna-Maria van Niekerk's pick, from the Guardian, in today’s #BhekisisaInYourInbox.

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Can Sierra Leone keep its mothers alive? - Bhekisisa It’s been a year since the US government’s aid cuts sent shock waves around the world. But in one maternity hospital in Freetown it’s the loss of UK funding that threatens to unravel years of steady…

At a maternity hospital in Freetown, a woman in obstructed labour waited 2+ hours for sutures, anaesthetic and IV fluids. The hospital had run out. Her baby survived. Read Bhekisisa’s co-publication with the Fuller Project.

#MaternalHealth

bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can Sierra Leone keep its mothers alive now that UK funding is gone? Learn more in today’s co-publication with the Fuller Project. #BhekisisaInYourInbox mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

Can Sierra Leone keep its mothers alive? - Bhekisisa It’s been a year since the US government’s aid cuts sent shock waves around the world. But in one maternity hospital in Freetown it’s the loss of UK funding that threatens to unravel years of steady…

Sierra Leone cut maternal deaths by nearly 80% since 2000. Aid cuts from the US and UK now threaten to unravel that progress. Read Bhekisisa’s co-publication with the Fuller Project. #MaternalHealth #SierraLeone

bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can talks save South Africa’s NHI from a courtroom war? - Bhekisisa Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance Act — to talk about “things we…

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he’s willing to talk to critics of the #NHI. But one thing, he insists, is non-negotiable: private medical aids cannot remain central to the system. “They have to be complementary.” bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Are talks on the cards for the NHI? Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations which is taking him to court about the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act — in an effort...

Why are American kids such picky eaters? Find out in Rosaline Daniel's pick, from the New York Times, in our latest #BhekisisaInYourInbox.
mailchi.mp/bhekisisa.or...

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Can talks save South Africa’s NHI from a courtroom war? - Bhekisisa Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance Act — to talk about “things we…

A psychiatric patient burnt to death because nurses couldn’t find the keys to the seclusion room in which she was kept, in time. What does the health ombudsman’s latest report tell us about the government’s ability to run the #NHI? bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can talks save South Africa’s NHI from a courtroom war? - Bhekisisa Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance Act — to talk about “things we…

Health economists say SA already has the building blocks of #UHC. The real problems, they argue, are:
• poor quality of care
• weak governance
• failing management systems

So will #NHI fix that — or make it worse?

bhekisisa.org/health-news-...

Can talks save South Africa’s NHI from a courtroom war? - Bhekisisa Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has met with the South African Medical Association — one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance Act — to talk about “things we…

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he’s willing to talk to critics of the #NHI. But one thing, he insists, is non-negotiable: private medical aids cannot remain central to the system. “They have to be complementary.” bhekisisa.org/health-news-...