Health department says it’s the law, but human rights lawyer disputes this By Tariro Washinyira Robertson Hospital confiscated the passport of a 25-year-old Zimbabwean woman on 19 May after she went there to seek treatment. Chiedza* said that on the first day she sought treatment she was handed her hospital file without any questions. But when she returned for a follow-up she was...

Company says it took reasonable measures and the period for claims has expired By Ciaran Ryan Twenty-two former underground miners are claiming more than R80 million in damages from Sasol Coal after they contracted serious lung and other diseases as a result of years of inhaling coal dust while working in underground coal mines. They are arguing that Sasol Coal was negligent in...

“Redirecting money from private to public spending is an obvious area to look at as part of urgent reform” By Kimberly Mutandiro and Kristine Liao Rural communities in South Africa, which make up 40% of the population, face immense difficulties in accessing adequate healthcare, according to a report titled Protecting Rural Healthcare in Times of Economic Crisis. The report was launched on Tuesday by the...

But public health expert expresses scepticism By Elsabé Brits Giving men who have sex with men (MSM) access to free self-screening HIV kits would increase testing among hard-to-reach groups and help South Africa reach its HIV targets. This is according to a new study published in the South African Medical Journal (SAMJ). The study was done with MSM in the high HIV-prevalence districts of Gert...