Collaboration required
NAMHLAMONAKALI
On World Asthma Day health experts and global organisations are calling for urgent action to make asthma treatment accessible to all
With over 250 million people living with asthma globally, the spotlight is on the lack of access to affordable, quality-assured inhaled medicines – a problem that continues to cost lives despite decades of clinical evidence supporting their effectiveness
The Global Asthma Network (GAN) marked the day with the launch of the Global Asthma Report, patient stories, a collection of first-hand accounts revealing the daily struggles of people living with asthma
The report highlights the benefits of timely diagnosis and treatment while underscoring the tragic consequences of systemic delays and medicine shortages
“By prioritising equitable access to medicines and strengthening primary healthcare systems, countries can not only meet global NCD targets but also enjoy significant economic and social returns,” said José Luis Castro, the World Health Organisation’s Director General’s Special Envoy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases
Locally, City Health reported that between May last year and April this year, its clinics issued 8 912 inhalers for acute care and 34 431 for chronic asthma treatment Despite these efforts, incorrect inhaler use remains one of the most common challenges
“We are heading into winter, when asthma symptoms typically worsen, so now is the time to make sure that you are protected,” said Francine Higham, Mayco member for community services and health She added that both adults and children often misuse inhalers, compromising their treatment outcomes
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has included asthma inhalers in its Model List of Essential Medicines and is working through
CLINICS
ISSUED 8 912 INHALERS FOR ACUTE CARE AND 34 431 FOR CHRONIC ASTHMA TREATMENT
the Global Alliance against Chronic Respiratory Diseases alongside partners such as GAN, the Forum of International Respiratory Societies, and the Global Initiative for Asthma to strengthen country-level policies
The Forum of International Respiratory Societies has also launched a campaign urging global leaders to invest in solutions that ensure
access to inhaled treatments for all Dr Sarah Rylance, WHO’s technical lead for chronic respiratory diseases, stressed the importance of collaboration “Together, we are amplifying critical evidence-based messages and driving progress to ensure that every person with asthma, no matter where they live, can breathe freely,” she said
As asthma remains the most common chronic illness among children in South Africa, health authorities continue to encourage the public to seek medical guidance, avoid sharing inhalers and follow proper inhaler techniques
The WHO is currently updating global asthma treatment guidelines to support governments in strengthening their response
Finding‘faith’whenapathystartstostrike
narratives as the norm
As journalists, and my fellow colleagues can attest to this, we are swarmed with often-harrowing and -disturbing information
Whether it is murders or sexual assault cases, we are tasked with digging deeper, speaking to the victims of abuse or the family members still grieving for their loved ones
It’s our moral obligation to remain professional and neutral in our reporting and detach ourselves from becoming emotionally involved when covering these stories
However, we cannot remain numb and passive amid the alarming statistics of crime, gender-based violence (GBV) and gang crossfire killings plaguing our communities
So many of us “doom-scroll” the nights away, absorbing so much traumatic news our eyes start to glaze, glossing over so much violence that we start to see it as “content” and start accepting these
We’re overstimulated and it’s so easy to become cynical about our society and powerless about the injustice we see, and the more we binge these bite-sized reels the more our algorithm curates our feed to keep us glued to the screen
A recent story I covered that shook me was the tragic death of Emaan Solomons (7)
Solomons was killed while playing outside her Ocean View in 2020 Her killers were sentenced recently at the Western Cape High Court
Although her death happened five years ago, my recent conversation with her father and his words still hit home: “Even if the killers were given 100 years it could never bring my daughter back,” words that still haunt me
Also etched in my mind are Emaan’s family in court holding her picture aloft, showing her innocent smile, now a painful reminder of a precious life stolen far too
soon
Such stories, some may argue, should remind us how grateful we should be for the well-being of the friends and family we still have
around us, and yet it’s a trigger for young parents, especially those in the Ocean View community
One glimmer of light among my stories is one that highlights an act of kindness that we hardly witness these days
It is the story of a young Muizenberg scout, Faith Morris (10), who was raising money for children with life-threatening illnesses by selling handcrafted bracelets and slime jars she created
Over several months, she surpassed her fundraising goal and raised R1 700, which she donated a few weeks ago towards Paedspal, a Cape Town-based paediatric palliative-care service
According to her mother, she accomplished this despite enduring a slew of chronic health conditions
The fact that this young girl spent her days crafting and donating these items for these sick children warmed my heart in the wake of covering a separate devastating story
Despite the grim and dark reality that covers us, Faith’s story encouraged me to be a more active citizen in rebuilding and enriching the lives of those less fortunate,
who would leap at the chance of having the health that we take for granted
My late mother was a proud nurse who served Tygerberg Hospital for 30 years, and I recall many mornings after working another night shift when she would tell me stories of the sick children who delighted in playing with some second-hand toys, their action figures missing an arm or a leg, and still they were overjoyed within those cold and sterile hospital walls that often fill me with dread and melancholy
It’s a timeless message we all forget in our ambitious pursuits of greater wealth and job security, especially when young people, can feel unattractive and worthless when comparing themselves with lavish lifestyles and accounts who have many followers on social media
In light of this, Faith’s fundraiser became the crucial wake-up call I needed before falling too deeply into apathy
In this age of content where so many comment and watch, we can contribute with acts of kindness and lead a positive ripple-effect
Beyond health concerns, Zelezniak highlighted the deeper developmental consequences “Research shows that poor water and sanitation infrastructure hinders a child’s cognitive language, and motor development, with
long-term effects on their educational attainment ” “Centres that can’t afford the water and sanitation improvements needed for registration are locked out of the very funding that could help them upgrade,” Zelezniak said “Instead, they rely on rainwater tanks, boreholes, or public taps ” “No child should fall sick or die simply because there was no water to wash their hands, she concluded
Urgent call for universal access to inhaled treatments PHOTO: PEXELS
KEANAN HARMSE
Koopmans-deWet upgrade is on
The Iziko Koopmans-de Wet House
Museum is undergoing a major transformation as part of a broader Reimagining Iziko Museums project, which focuses on upgrading, conserving and reinterpreting museum spaces and collections.
Dr Bongani Ndhlovu, Executive Director of Core Functions at Iziko Museums of South Africa, said as part of the Reimagining process furniture and artefacts had been removed from the facility based in Strand Street
“Facilities and infrastructure as well as conservation work will take place at the Koopmans de Wet House Museum over the next few months ”
He said the museum will maintain its name and continue to offer physical and virtual exhibitions that honour its diverse heritage while training a new generation of heritage professionals
“We appreciate the fact that the site and museum were developed to preserve the legacy of Koopmans-de Wet and the heritage embedded in it
“We recognise that that family contributed to the socio-economic life of the Cape Marie Koopmans-de Wet was an activist in her own right and was passionate about language and painting, those elements of her and her family’s legacy will continue to be honoured ” Ndhlovu said with this in mind, the museum is set to host the South African Heritage Hub, a venture that seeks to incorporate the history and heritage of Koopmans-de Wet House as well as the legacy of Marie and her sister Margerette
He said the museum will continue to operate under that name and will continue to exhibit the narrative of the site
To that end physical and virtual exhibitions will be developed
“These will continue to profile various elements of the Koopmans-de Wet contribution to
THE MUSEUM’S ROLE IN SHAPING HISTORY GOES ON
the country’s heritage The exhibitions will also recognise the role played by the enslaved in the social fabric of the Koopmans-de Wet Museum
and the Cape ” Ndhlovu explained that while the Koopmans-de Wet family worked hard to accumulate their wealth and education, in the cultural life and development of the city the enslaved also worked as masons, carpenters, smiths, tailors, furniture makers and musicians
To this end the envisaged hub activities will
include both heritage and entrepreneurial ventures as the pillars that will continue to inspire the work of the museum, while the next generation of heritage practitioners are being trained . For more information on the Koopman-de Wet House Museum and its history and role in developing the social fabric of the city,and its reimagining for the future,email info@iziko org za
The Koopmans-de Wet House Museum will maintain its name and still offer exhibits and other related events honouring its diverse heritage as upgrades occur.
Champintimelymove
Grant Goldschmidt originally from Mitchells Plain and now residing in Goodwood, former SA beach volleyball champion, is now plying his trade as a beach volleyball commissioner for the Cape Town Volleyball Federation and coaching two ladies teams at the University of Cape Town. He retired in 2022 after the Beach Pro Tour held in the Mother City.
“In August last year I was approached by the Federation to assist as they needed someone with expertise to make opportunities available for everyone in the Cape Town area to play beach volleyball We competed in nine events from October until March over the summer season and we had a successful beach league, but the indoor-season has started and we are currently competing in the indoor league,” he says Being in volleyball for almost 30 years, he became involved at the
s a so ost g t e U ve s ty Games from (Thursday) 29 May until (Wednesday) 4 June where teams from universities countrywide will come down to play in the National USSA Tournament,” he says Goldschmidt started his volleyball career at the age of 19, went to study at UWC and played for the university
“While studying at UWC, I played