Medical waste disposal at a hospital in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa: Implications for training of healthcare professionals

In rural African communities, family caregivers shoulder the responsibility of caring for loved ones with mental disorders, often without professional support. This qualitative explorative study, conducted in Limpopo Province, South Africa, aimed to explore the realities of caring for a family member with a mental disorder in rural and remote Capricorn District, in order to uncover insights that can inform support systems, the academic community, interventions, and policies. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to ensure the reproducibility and validity of the results by focusing on participants who are actively involved in caregiving, living in the rural and remote of Capricorn District, in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of their experiences, and this resulted in 15 participants (13 females, 2 males). Data saturation determined the sample size, with data collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using Tesch’s open-coding method. The findings revealed that cultural and spiritual beliefs strengthen caregivers, who exhibit resilience and resourcefulness, yet face financial strain, career setbacks, social isolation, and health declines. The study underscores the critical role of healthcare professionals in recognizing and addressing the challenges faced by family caregivers, while also advocating for the academic community to prioritize the development and dissemination of educational programs focused on safe and ethical coping strategies for caregivers and for policymakers to develop comprehensive mental health services that are accessible and culturally sensitive to rural and remote communities. This is essential because the well-being of caregivers directly influences the rehabilitation and community integration outcomes for individuals with mental disorders.

Teachers with mental illness are vulnerable to work-related triggers that can lead to relapse, affecting their mental health and ability to recover, stay employed, and deliver quality education. This empirical study explored such triggers among public school teachers in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, a qualitative phenomenological design was adopted. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with 14 participants that were purposively selected across four hospitals. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Tesch’s eight-step open-coding method. Findings revealed being gossiped about by colleagues, excessive workload, limited leadership and parental support, classroom management challenges, high performance expectations without support, and inadequate teacher mental health policies in schools. These triggers can lead to frequent absenteeism and poor teaching outcomes. They will further increase the risk of medication resistance and long-term cognitive decline due to progressive structural brain damage as a result of multiple relapses. The study highlights the urgent need for multi-stakeholder collaboration, including clinicians, academic institutions, union representatives, and the Department of Basic Education, to co-develop effective, context-sensitive strategies to mitigate work-related triggers of mental illness relapse. These strategies are not only essential for enabling long-term workforce participation but also advancing sustainable mental health and well-being.

Occupational hazards of any nature are a threat to the health and safety of any worker at the workplace. The employer and workers should ensure that the physical work environment is free from any hazard that could pose a threat to the health and safety of workers.

Exposure to air pollution have detrimental effects on the elderly, women, people with pre-existing medical conditions, people living in poverty and children. The aim of the study was to investigate the extent of community awareness and knowledge on the health risks associated with exposure to air pollution. A cross-sectional study design was used for the study, using self-administered questionnaires. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 376 respondents. Systematic sampling method was applied to select the households. SPSS version 26 was used to analyze data. Of 376 respondents, 221 were males and 154 females. 113 were aged between 23-47years and 353 were aware that if they don’t protect themselves against polluted air, they may get sick, with age and educational status associated with their awareness (p < 0.05). About 361 knew what air pollution is and 188 think the air they breathe in Annadale is moderate. A total number of 278 said they feel sick/uncomfortable when the quality of air is bad. About 293 knew that people are exposed to air pollution by breathing contaminated air and 237 identified sewage smell as the main cause of air pollution. Respondents who identified internet and television as the main source of information were 199 and 177 respectively. Those who were not aware of actions implemented to reduce air pollution were 180. Based on the results of the study, respondents are aware of the dangers of exposure to polluted air, and it is necessary that air pollution risk communication strategies be implemented to empower residents.