HEALTH - The African Mirror

Apr

07

2026

By OBASANJO BOLARINWA and REBECCA TADOKERA

Maternity health services in Nigeria are failing women: 4 steps to better care

HEALTH

NIGERIA faces one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. Around 1,047 women die for every 100,000 live births, far above the African regional average of about 531 deaths per 100,000. This highlights the fact that not all women are getting maternal healthcare. Reasons include: differences in access to healthcare between geographical regions socio-demographic factors such as education, poverty, age and limited decision-making power within households religious affiliation, which in some communities shapes health-seeking behaviour limited exposure to health information poverty and unemployment a lack of health insurance. Nigeria has implemented several maternal health programmes over the past two decades.…

Mar

24

2026

By DEBORAH OYINE ALUH

Mental health laws ignore traditional care in Africa: insights from 5 countries

HEALTH

WHEN Idoko, a 23-year-old man living in rural Benue State, north central Nigeria, began hearing voices, withdrawing from family and speaking incoherently, his family’s first call was not to a psychiatrist. They took him to a local faith-based prayer group, where members pray over people believed to be afflicted by spiritual forces. When he showed no signs of recovery, the clan head advised them to take him to a renowned traditional healer. Idoko was chained to a tree for the first six weeks and was given doses of a herbal concoction prepared by the traditional healer. His condition improved, and…

Mar

19

2026

By The African Mirror

‘Miracle workers’: SA President hails Mankweng team after historic separation of conjoined twins

HEALTH

IN the operating theatres of Mankweng Hospital in Limpopo, history did not arrive with fanfare. It arrived in scrubs, in silence, and in the steady hands of a team of surgeons, anaesthetists, nurses, and specialists who refused to be daunted by one of medicine’s most complex challenges. When the procedure concluded successfully, the result was not merely a surgical milestone - it was a profound affirmation of life. The successful separation of conjoined twins at Mankweng Hospital now stands as one of the most celebrated achievements in South African public healthcare in recent memory. Led by the distinguished Professor Nyaweleni…

Mar

13

2026

By OYEWALE TOMORI

African countries are signing bilateral health deals with the US: virologist identifies the ‘red flags’

HEALTH

THE United States is signing bilateral health deals with African countries. By the end of February 2026, deals worth US$19.8 billion had been signed in new health funding. Of this amount, the US has committed US$12.2 billion and African countries US$7.5 billion. Eighteen African countries have signed these deals. They are Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Uganda. The Conversation Africa asked virology professor Oyewale Tomori, a former World Health Organisation regional virologist, how African countries should have responded to this…

Mar

12

2026

By LAURA DERKSEN; ANITA MCGAHAN, and LEANDRO PONGELUPPE

HIV in Malawi: digital filing system saved lives and boosted care – research

HEALTH

IN the global fight against HIV/Aids, one of the most exciting innovations is not a new drug, but a better filing system. This is what we’re seeing in Malawi, one of the most HIV-affected countries in the world. About 7% of the population there lives with the virus. The country is one of the few meeting the United Nations 95-95-95 targets (95% of people living with HIV are diagnosed, 95% of those diagnosed are treated, and 95% of those on treatment have a viral load below 200 copies per millilitre). Sustaining this progress is a massive challenge in large clinics…

Mar

09

2026

By The African Mirror

African Union agency and Wits University launch executive programme to overhaul public sector governance across Africa

AUDA-NEPAD, HEALTH

The African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the University of the Witwatersrand's School of Governance (WSG) on Monday formally launched a strategic partnership to deliver a high-level Executive Management Programme aimed at strengthening public sector leadership across the African continent — an initiative that its architects say directly addresses a governance deficit threatening the realisation of Agenda 2063. The launch, held at the Wits Anglo American Digital Dome in Johannesburg, was attended by South Africa's Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr Maropene Ramokgopa; AUDA-NEPAD Chief Executive Officer H.E. Nardos Bekele-Thomas; Wits School of Governance Head Professor…

Mar

07

2026

By D. YAW ATIGLO and CHARLOTTE ABRA ESIME OFORI

Women in Ghana can access safe abortions: why are so many still using unsafe methods

HEALTH

GHANA’S abortion law is relatively liberal. Abortion is legally permitted in the first trimester when a pregnancy endangers the mother’s life or physical or mental health, or when it is due to rape or incest. Thus, medication abortion has become more widely available. Medication abortion involves the use of mifepristone and misoprostol pills, which stop pregnancy and enable the uterus to expel it naturally. When used correctly and with proper guidance, it is an acceptable, effective and safe method. Despite the availability of this safe method, however, it’s not always used in Ghana, especially by young women. The 2017 Ghana…

Mar

06

2026

By MANDLA BHUDA; JANINE WICHMANN and JOYCE SHIRINDE

Eczema and asthma in children: how household fuels are harming health in poor South African homes

HEALTH

IN many households in Mabopane and Soshanguve – townships on the northern outskirts of South Africa’s City of Tshwane that are marked by high poverty, unemployment and informal economic activity – evenings follow a familiar pattern. When electricity cuts occur or power becomes unaffordable, families turn to gas stoves, paraffin heaters, or wood and coal fires to cook meals and keep warm. These energy sources contribute to air pollution, but the most harmful exposure often happens indoors, where children spend much of their time. These choices, though often unavoidable, put young children’s health at risk. Children are particularly vulnerable to…

Mar

05

2026

By BONFACE ORUCHO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

Africa’s one-dose cure brings sleeping sickness elimination within reach

HEALTH

AFRICA’S long battle against sleeping sickness may be approaching its final chapter as a new single-dose therapy gains international regulatory backing. The drug, acoziborole, received a positive scientific opinion on 27 February 2026 from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use of the European Medicines Agency, clearing the way for national approval processes in countries where the disease remains endemic. The decision was issued under the EU-M4all programme, a regulatory pathway designed to accelerate access to medicines intended primarily for use outside the European Union. Under this procedure, scientific assessment by European regulators supports approvals in countries facing major…

Mar

04

2026

By TIMOTHY POWELL-JACKSON and MYLENE LAGARDE

Do doctors treat poorer patients differently? Our study in Tunisia found they do – in subtle ways

HEALTH

PEOPLE with lower income and less education get sick more often, have worse access to care, and don’t live as long. This is one of the most consistent findings in health research across the world. But do doctors themselves amplify these inequalities? As health economists interested in the behaviour of healthcare providers, we sought to explore an understudied driver of health inequalities in Tunisia: whether doctors treat patients from different socioeconomic backgrounds differently during a clinical encounter. We chose Tunisia because it’s a middle-income country where socioeconomic and health inequalities are growing. Until recently, there has been little robust evidence…