Yup. You heard me. When funders and heath economists talk about unnecessary health expenditure it irks me. You, the patient, may not need an operation but there’s a whole bunch of people who do … the surgeon, the anaesthetist, the hospital, the surgical supplier, the drug companies. Your body is a valuable commodity, and in […]
Health
Posted inHealth, News/Politics
Break the silence of child abuse
We are currently observing National Child Protection Week, which is an annual campaign led by the department of social development in partnership with other government departments and civil-society organisations. The campaign will run up to June 2 2013 and is themed “Working together to protect children”. The aim of this initiative “is to promote the […]
Posted inHealth, News/Politics
Health workers in the firing line
By Peter Maurer and Unni Karunakara Whether it’s health facilities being used to identify and apprehend enemies, or ambulances blocked from accessing the wounded, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Doctors Without Borders (MSF) strongly condemn any act that deliberately aims to distort medical action and to deny healthcare to the sick […]
Posted inGeneral, Health
Simple saves lives
By Emma Attwell I’m at a technology conference, surrounded by extraordinary gadgets doing amazing things. Among the latest mobile phones, smart washing machines and eco-friendly fridges, there’s also a solar-powered internet classroom and, my favourite, a solar-powered mobile health clinic kitted out to test hearing, sight and blood. Driving through Africa in one of those […]
Posted inHealth
Masculinity under siege?
Every year young boys die in the process of “becoming men”, ulwaluko. Recently Mpumalanga made news when 27 boys died at an initiation camp. When such stories are reported I’m reminded of the imigidi I have attended, celebrating the return of ikrwala (a new man). Growing up, the deaths of amakrwala (the “new men”) were […]