Zambia has publicly opposed a US attempt to link health funding to access to critical minerals, giving the clearest account yet of why two proposed bilateral agreements have stalled. The Zambia-US Health Funding Deal has become a key point of contention in discussions between the two countries. Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe issued a detailed statement rejecting the terms of both…
Tag: Health Funding
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NHI Constitutional Court Challenge: Key Issues Unpacked
South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI) project is heading into a critical legal test. President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to argue before the Constitutional Court that the NHI is a necessary step to address deep inequality in access to healthcare inherited from apartheid. The case focuses on whether Parliament followed a constitutionally sound public participation process when passing the NHI…
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Declaration On Diabetes: Facing a National Emergency
South Africa’s diabetes burden is moving from “silent epidemic” to loud national emergency. Amanda Mashego, diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes six years ago, describes daily management as a 24-hour job with no breaks. Every meal, mood shift, and exercise session requires constant calculation. Yet she says the mental load remains largely unseen by the healthcare system. That invisible workload is…
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NHI Constitutional Challenge: AfriForum’s Legal Action
Civil society group AfriForum has served a summons on President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. This intensifies its court bid to have the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act declared unconstitutional. The organisation instructed the Sheriff of the Court to deliver a combined summons to five senior state office-bearers. This signals that the fight over NHI is moving…
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China’s HIV Prevention Funding Targets Vulnerable Youth
In a significant boost to South Africa’s public health resources, China has announced a $3.49 million (approximately R60 million) donation. This donation will expand critical HIV prevention funding. The investment is specifically earmarked to support young people and injecting drug users. These are demographics that currently lag behind the country’s treatment and prevention targets. The funding announcement comes at a…
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UNAIDS and the Fight Against Global AIDS Progress
Decades of remarkable progress in the global fight against HIV and AIDS are in jeopardy following massive and abrupt international funding withdrawals, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and Aids (UNAIDS) announced at the launch of its Global AIDS Update 2025. The report, titled “AIDS, Crisis and the Power to Transform”, was unveiled at Bertha Gxowa Hospital in Germiston.…
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HIV Crisis: Impact of US Aid Cuts on Treatment
South Africa’s hard-won gains against the ongoing HIV crisis and AIDS are facing a perilous new challenge following significant cuts to US funding. These cuts have sparked fears of a resurgence in infections and deaths. Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, once lauded for his decisive action against the epidemic, is now under intense scrutiny for his response to the escalating…
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NHI Sparks Alarm and Calls for Healthcare Reform
The looming implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act is casting a long shadow over South Africa. NHI sparks alarm among critics who are expressing profound concern over its viability. This is particularly due to the well-documented struggles within the existing public healthcare system. Fears are mounting that the ambitious plan could decimate private medical schemes. However, it might…
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HIV Funding Cuts and Their Impact on South Africa
US funding cuts for HIV relief could be devastating. South Africa may see a resurgence of the epidemic. A new study predicts many additional HIV infections. This could be between 150,000 and 295,000 by 2028. The study shows the impact of HIV funding cuts in South Africa. The National Department of Health commissioned the study. Researchers from UCT and Wits…
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Health Minister addresses funding gap after USAID cuts
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has acknowledged that the South African government cannot entirely compensate for the funding gap left by the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) following the termination of USAID-funded health programmes by President Donald Trump’s administration. The sudden funding halt has impacted the supply of life-saving drugs for HIV, malaria, and TB, as well as…
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Global fund affirms commitment to lenacapavir rollout
The Global Fund for HIV, TB, and Malaria has reaffirmed its commitment to rolling out the twice-yearly HIV prevention jab, lenacapavir, in lower-income countries, including South Africa. This initiative will continue with or without the support of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), which recently encountered funding disruptions during President Donald Trump’s term. According to Global Fund…
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Trump’s USAID cuts threaten SA’s HIV/AIDS progress
In a devastating move for South Africa’s healthcare sector, former US President Donald Trump rescinded all USAID grants supporting HIV/AIDS programs in the country. The decision, announced on Thursday, has put thousands of healthcare jobs at risk and threatens the progress made in battling the epidemic. Health activists warn that the cuts could reverse years of hard-won gains, leaving vulnerable…