Health-e News

Health-e News Health-e News is a non-profit, online publication focused on pressing health issues in South Africa.

We centre community voices through our network of nationwide community journalists.

Women in Mahikeng, North West, say they are worried after contraceptives ran out at local clinics for the past few month...
08/06/2026

Women in Mahikeng, North West, say they are worried after contraceptives ran out at local clinics for the past few months.

Audrey Mosanya from Motlhabeng Village says she went to Unit 9 Clinic to collect her usual pill supply, but was told there was no stock.

She has been on the pill since 2016. “I am really worried now. I am not ready to fall pregnant. I can’t afford another child.”

Another woman, Neo Taje from Setlopo, uses Nur-Isterate, a twice-monthly injection, says her clinic told her they only have a small supply left and no new stock has arrived.

In Gauteng, women are also reporting shortages of injectables and implants, with some being given different contraceptives instead.

Have you experienced contraceptive shortages at your clinic?

👇 Full story in the comments.
✍️ Kagiso Keipopele and Keletso Mkhwanazi

04/06/2026

[WATCH] Sixteen cavities by age six and she has never seen a dentist.

When Samkelisiwe Khumalo first noticed cavities in her daughter Unathi's teeth, she was four years old. Two years later, Unathi has 16 cavities and still hasn't had a dental check-up.

She's not alone.

Health experts say many parents and caregivers aren't getting enough oral health education, while some clinics only offer dental services during special campaigns.

Dr Bulela Vava, a dentist and founder of the Public Oral Health Forum, says oral health education at health facilities is lacking, and many clinics don’t complete the oral health examination section of children’s “Road to Health Card”.

Experts warn that poor oral health is more than just a dental problem, it can affect a child's health, development and wellbeing.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Sandile Mbili Mbili

As freezing temperatures grip Bloemfontein, people sleeping on the streets are preparing for another difficult winter.Ja...
03/06/2026

As freezing temperatures grip Bloemfontein, people sleeping on the streets are preparing for another difficult winter.

Jack Kgodumo, who has lived on the streets for more than 20 years, says cold nights are about survival, not comfort.

While organisations like the South African Red Cross Society hand out blankets each winter, he says life on the streets often forces people to make impossible choices.

Others, like Jacky Ramanamane and Jabulani Jikila, are hoping to receive blankets this year to help them get through the cold.

According to Statistics South Africa, homelessness increased from 39 713 people in 2011 to more than 55 000 in 2022.

Research shows that people living on the streets are especially vulnerable to illness during cold weather.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Molefi Sompane

A mother says she was denied entry to a Durban clinic while carrying her four-month-old baby.The child had been assessed...
02/06/2026

A mother says she was denied entry to a Durban clinic while carrying her four-month-old baby.

The child had been assessed as high risk after struggling to breathe and had been referred for continued treatment.

She alleges March and March, an anti-immigrant vigilante group, stopped her from entering Addington Gateway Clinic despite her showing asylum documents, her baby's clinic card and Road to Health book.

The group has been blocking non-South Africans from public clinics, hospitals and schools since March 2025.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Phumzile Mkhungo

Polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS), is a term you may have heard before.But what if the name doesn't tell the whole story?...
02/06/2026

Polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS), is a term you may have heard before.

But what if the name doesn't tell the whole story?

Experts say the condition has long been associated with fertility problems.

Yet it can also be linked to diabetes, heart disease, skin problems, psychological challenges and other health complications.

Now, a global consortium has renamed the condition to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), to better reflect its wider impact on the body.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Ina Skosana

02/06/2026

[WATCH] When most people hear PCOS, they think about irregular periods and fertility problems. But doctors say the condition affects much more than that.

A global group of experts and patients has changed the name from PCOS to PMOS.

Professor Jack Biko a reproductive medicine specialist says the old name did not fully explain what is happening in the body.

Women with PCOS may have a higher risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer of the womb lining, skin problems and mental health challenges.

The new name is meant to show that this condition can affect many parts of the body, so that people can get the appropriate care.

🔗 More at the link in bio via Ina Skosana.

02/06/2026

[WATCH] PCOS is known as a condition that can cause irregular periods, difficulty with fertility and unwanted facial hair. But doctors say there's much more to it than that.

A global group of experts and patients has changed the name of polycystic o***y syndrome (PCOS) to polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS).

Professor Jack Biko a reproductive medicine specialist says the old name focused too much on the ovaries and "cysts", while missing the bigger health issues linked to the condition.

PCOS can increase a person's risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer of the womb lining, skin problems and mental health challenges.

The new name is meant to show that this condition can affect many parts of the body, so that people can get the appropriate treatment.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Ina Skosana

At 28, Joyce says managing her diabetes feels like a constant battle.Despite being on treatment, she says it’s very rare...
28/05/2026

At 28, Joyce says managing her diabetes feels like a constant battle.

Despite being on treatment, she says it’s very rare for her levels to be normal.

But unlike most people living with diabetes, doctors still cannot clearly place her condition into Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.

Instead, they suspect she may have what researchers are now calling 'Type 5 diabetes', a form linked to prolonged childhood malnutrition that may damage the pancreas and limit insulin production.

Experts say the condition may especially affect poorer countries battling malnutrition and food insecurity, including South Africa, where one in four children under five are stunted.

But for Joyce, managing her condition is not just about medication. She says affordable vegetables from Sebenza Garden in Gugulethu have helped her eat healthier and better manage her diabetes.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Sipokazi Fokazi.

27/05/2026

[WATCH] When 64-year-old Sbongile Mofokeng from Orange Farm was diagnosed with HIV in 2013, she says she needed more than treatment.

She wanted support and information to help understand what was happening to her.

More than a decade later, she says many older people living with HIV still feel overlooked.

Members of the Lawley elderly community group told Health-e News that clinic talks often focus on conditions like hypertension and diabetes, while HIV education rarely includes them.

"Being elderly does not exclude me from being exposed to HIV or being infected," says 75-year-old Mpumelele Ngwenya.

As more South Africans living with HIV are living longer, some elderly people say they want healthcare support that speaks to their realities too.

👇 Full story in the comments
✍️ Via Lerato Kodisang

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