Public health

Government On Track to Flush Out Bucket System

South Africa has almost met the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people who do not have proper sanitation, but there are still challenges to overcome, says Water Affairs and Forestry Minister Lindiwe Hendricks.

Health Care Waste Management in Public Clinics in the Ilembe District: A Situational Analysis and Intervention Strategy

Published by: 
Health Systems Trust

All waste generated at health care facilities in the past was regarded as hazardous and was incinerated before disposal. Today however, waste generated at health facilities is separated out and disposed of according to the risks it poses.

The purpose of this study was to investigate health care waste (HCW) management practices used in public health clinics in the iLembe Health District, with a view to developing a HCW management intervention strategy.

Towards a generic surveillance system to measure the impact of Community Health Worker programmes in South Africa: a comparison of paper-based and mobile/cell phone methods

Published by: 
Health Systems Trust

The emergence of Human Immune Virus (HIV) infections and the Acquired Immune Defi ciency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic in South Africa accompanied by an upsurge in the number of reported tuberculosis (TB) cases has profoundly altered the nations disease profi le over the last fi fteen years. This resulted in a change in the presentation of health problems and a deterioration of health indicators, i.e. increased mortality- and morbidity rates, with a lowered life expectancy.

New vaccines bring hope to polio fight

New vaccines have sharply reduced the number of children paralyzed by polio and raised hopes that a 5 billion campaign to wipe it out may be close to success, a top public health official said in an interview.

Understanding the Impact of Decentralisation on Reproductive Health Services in Africa (RHD) - South Africa Report

The provision of appropriate reproductive health care remains one of the main health care challenges in developing countries. The development of the delivery of reproductive health services is continually confronted by challenges from a changing environment, an important element of which is health sector reform, in particular decentralisation, which is being undertaken by most governments in Africa.

Trying to plug the brain drain

A groundbreaking move by South Africa's health department could see nurses being paid at least 20 percent more, becoming the first beneficiaries of a plan to attract more healthcare students and keep homegrown skills home with higher salaries.