Creator
Joan Van Dyk
Joan van Dyk graduated with an honours degree in journalism from Stellenbosch University in 2017. She was the top performing student in the class of 2016.
Three health ministers have failed SA nurses. This is why
The list of medicines nurses can prescribe hasn’t changed since 1984, so they can’t dispense beyond schedule four drugs
Should you be worried about asymptomatic TB?
More than half of people in South Africa with tuberculosis may not know it, because they don’t have symptoms such as coughing and weight loss
How good is your province at curing the most drug resistant TB?
Use our interactive map to see how well each province fared, according to the best data available
South Africans may soon get antidepressants from a nurse
About one in three people in South Africa will experience depression, anxiety or a substance use disorder at least once in their lives
Parents, here are 8 measles outbreak questions — answered
We clarify issues surrounding the measles outbreak and explain who is eligible to get an extra vaccination
PODCAST | ‘We’ve failed as clinicians’: This HIV doctor is changing how he treats overweight patients. Here’s why
HIV doctor Francois Venter explains why the treatment of obese people reminds him of the bad old days of the HIV epidemic.
What’s behind the Big Tobacco job cuts? A guide to SA’s illegal trade after Covid
British American Tobacco says 200 workers will be out of a job soon but public health researchers argue they’re using misleading figures to back retrenchments
SA’s updated HIV treatment guidelines bring positive changes
ARV drug dolutegravir will become the go-to drug in all treatment plans next year. Here are 7 things you should know
WATCH: How to keep teenagers on tuberculosis treatment
TB was the leading cause of teenage deaths between 2008 and 2018 in South Africa
Is the future of South Africa’s tuberculosis (TB) plans locked up in the mysterious minds of teens?
Researchers struggle to understand how teenagers experience tuberculosis treatment, and they haven’t done enough to ask, experts at last week’s seventh South African TB…
The oldest trick in Big Tobacco’s playbook nearly derailed South Africa’s TB conference. Here’s why
The Foundation for Professional Development accepted a R2-million research grant from an organisation that’s regarded as a front for Philip Morris International
Dirty Sprite: The DIY high that keeps South African schoolchildren numb
Codeine is found in mild painkillers and cough syrups, and is sometimes mixed with Sprite or alcohol to make a drink called “lean”.
South Africa’s moonlight sonata: The illicit cash cow draining specialist care at state hospitals
Specialist doctors at many state facilities aren’t showing up to work despite earning millions a year in taxpayer money. The consequences for patient health can be devastating…
What the latest Covid-19 stats can tell us — and what they can’t
Covid-19 figures have never captured the full extent of the pandemic, and the numbers are becoming less useful because fewer people are testing
Here’s what will happen in South Africa if the US reverses abortion rights
In the US, the end of national abortion rights could be drawing nearer. In South Africa, laws permit terminations — but the threat is political, not legal