The number of people living with HIV in South Africa has, for the first time, reached the eight million mark. These statistics show HIV cases soaring, with around 6.2 million receiving treatment, according to new estimates. The number of individuals living with HIV in South Africa is projected to surpass eight million in 2024. This accounts for 12.8% of the…
Tag: Public Health
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Stillbirths surge amid global health inequity
A stark reminder of persistent global health inequities has emerged from a new report revealing that 1.9 million babies were stillborn in 2023. Crucially, the report by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation found that nearly half of these tragic deaths occurred during labour and could have been avoided with adequate medical care. The timing of the report’s…
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South Africa intensifies fight against tuberculosis
With less than five years remaining to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, South Africa faces a critical challenge: ending the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. The goal is ambitious: an 80% reduction in TB incidence and a 90% decline in TB deaths compared with 2015 levels. While South Africa has made remarkable strides, halving the number of TB patients between…
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SA confident of HIV treatment goals despite aid cuts
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has reassured Parliament that he is confident in achieving its ambitious HIV treatment targets despite recent cuts in US aid. The minister’s assurance comes as a response to concerns raised by MPs regarding the potential impact of US funding reductions on South Africa’s healthcare system. South Africa aims to provide treatment to an additional 1.1 million…
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NHI’s absence from budget raises questions about its future
While Budget 2025 covered numerous sectors, the notable absence of National Health Insurance (NHI) from Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s speech has sparked significant discussion. Despite its omission from the speech, references to NHI are present within the medium-term expenditure framework, signalling its continued, albeit challenged, presence in the government’s long-term plans. NHI: More aspiration than reality? Craig Comrie, CEO of…
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US foreign aid pause threatens global HIV treatment
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a stark warning regarding the impact of the Trump administration’s decision to pause US foreign aid. This pause has “substantially disrupted” the supply of life-saving HIV treatment in eight countries, placing millions at risk. According to the WHO, Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Ukraine are facing imminent shortages…
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Motsoaledi fiddles while the health crisis deepens
The shocking state of South Africa’s public hospitals has once again been thrust into the spotlight with damning reports on conditions at Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital and Helen Joseph Hospital in Gauteng. These institutions, meant to serve the most vulnerable, are instead plagued by neglect, underfunding, and infrastructure collapse. In March 2023, then-health ombud Malegapuru Makgoba released a…
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Healthcare funding to reach R329 billion by 2027/28
After two years of strict budget limits in healthcare, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s 2025 budget speech aimed to fix funding shortages in the public health system. The health budget will rise from R277 billion in 2024/25 to R298.8 billion in 2025/26 and is expected to reach R329 billion by 2027/28, with an average annual growth of 5.6%. This is better…
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First NHI draft regulations released by Health Minister
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has taken a significant step towards implementing the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act by publishing the first draft regulations. These regulations focus on Section 55 of the Act, detailing the governance structure and processes of the NHI Fund, a cornerstone of the ANC’s ambitious plan for universal health coverage. While the Act has yet to be…
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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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“Close the Gap” HIV campaign targets 1.1m more on treatment
The South African government launched the “Close the Gap” campaign in February, aiming to set an ambitious target of placing an additional 1.1 million people living with HIV on antiretroviral therapy (ART) by the end of 2025. With approximately 7.8 million individuals in the country living with HIV and 5.9 million currently receiving treatment, this initiative seeks to increase the…
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Discrepancy in HIV reporting impacts public health programmes
A recent study by the South African Medical Research Council (MRC) has revealed a significant gap in the official reporting of HIV-related deaths, which could weaken the effectiveness of the country’s public health programs. The findings indicate a worrying disparity between official statistics and actual mortality data, raising resource distribution and disease management issues. Analysing over 15,000 deaths from September…