The right to health in respect of terminally ill persons in South Africa

It is probably true that „death is the great equalizer‟ amongst human beings and that some of its „cousins: illness, dementia, physical debility, and advance age‟2 can ensure a journey marked by severe pain and suffering before we reach our ultimate fate. Yet, despite this reality most people choose not to think or talk about the issues that affect human beings during the period of life called dying, which is possibly the most vulnerable time in human existence. The limited discussions on end-of-life issues arguably exacerbate the vulnerability of those who are affected by terminal illnesses. This is unfortunate and particularly of concern in the South African context where there are indications that thousands of people are not enjoying good health and are in fact facing life-threatening or potentially life-threatening medical diagnoses

Palliative care for terminally ill inmates: Does the state have a legal obligation?

‘We ought to give those who are to leave life … the terminally ill … the same care and attention that we give those who enter life – the new-born.’1 In this article it is contended that terminally ill inmates have a right to palliative care and that the State has a duty to fulfil this right. The number of unsuccessful medical parole applications and recorded natural deaths of inmates is considered as indicative of the problem of terminally ill inmates in South African prisons. It is further contended that the State’s obligation arises from an inmate’s constitutional right to health care and from an increasingly recognised international human right to palliative care

Protecting inmates' dignity and the public's safety: a critical analysis of the new law on medical parole in South Africa

This paper is aimed at critically assessing the new section 79 of the Correctional Services Act and whether it creates a medical parole system which protects the dignity of inmates and gives due consideration to public safety.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Zn(Ii) and Cu(Ii) Adsorption and Retention Onto Iron Oxyhydroxide Nanoparticles: Effects Of Particle Aggregation and Salinity

Background: Iron oxyhydroxides are commonly found in natural aqueous systems as nanoscale particles, where they can act as effective sorbents for dissolved metals due to their natural surface reactivity, small size and high surface area. These properties make nanoscale iron oxyhydroxides a relevant option for the remediation of water supplies contaminated with dissolved metals. However, natural geochemical processes, such as changes in ionic strength, pH, and temperature, can cause these particles to aggregate, thus affecting their sorption capabilities and remediation potential. Other environmental parameters such as increasing salinity may also impact metal retention, e. g. when particles are transported from freshwater to seawater. Results: After using synthetic iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles and nanoparticle aggregates in batch Zn(II) adsorption experiments, the addition of increasing concentrations of chloride (from 0.1 M to 0.6 M) appears to initially reduce Zn (II) retention, likely due to the desorption of outer-sphere zinc surface complexes and subsequent formation of aqueous Zn-Cl complexes, before then promoting Zn(II) retention, possibly through the formation of ternary surface complexes (supported by EXAFS spectroscopy) which stabilize zinc on the surface of the nanoparticles/aggregates. In batch Cu(II) adsorption experiments, Cu(II) retention reaches a maximum at 0.4 M chloride. Copper-chloride surface complexes are not indicated by EXAFS spectroscopy, but there is an increase in the formation of stable aqueous copper-chloride complexes as chloride concentration rises (with CuCl+ becoming dominant in solution at similar to 0.5 M chloride) that would potentially inhibit further sorption or encourage desorption. Instead, the presence of bidentate edge-sharing and monodentate corner-sharing complexes is supported by EXAFS spectroscopy. Increasing chloride concentration has more of an impact on zinc retention than the mechanism of nanoparticle aggregation, whereas aggregation condition is a stronger determinant of copper retention. Conclusions: Based on these model uptake/retention studies, iron oxyhydroxide nanoparticles show potential as a strategy to remediate zinc-contaminated waters that migrate towards the ocean. Copper retention, in contrast, appears to be optimized at an intermediate salinity consistent with brackish water, and therefore may release considerable fractions of retained copper at higher (e. g. seawater) salinity levels

Deciphering Dangerousness: A Critical Analysis of Section 286A and B of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977

The violent nature of some crimes and the high crime rate in South Africa reflect the fact that some offenders constitute a real threat to the security of communities. It is understandable, therefore, that the state seeks to protect its citizens through preventive measures. Although South Africa has certain legal provisions on its statutory books, it seems that the declaration of persons as dangerous criminals is under-utilised. South African legislation dealing with the declaration of dangerous criminals can be improved by borrowing some traits of the Canadian legislation. Such features include the restriction of courts' discretion and the provision of concrete and more detailed guidelines on the nature of the offences for which the provision can be applied. The courts could also take into account the type of criminal history of the offender which would merit the declaration of a dangerous criminal. It is also important that the extent of the violence in an offence should be thoroughly defined in court. Courts need to balance their wide discretion on the matter with the provisions in the Act in order to protect the community against dangerous criminals. &nbsp

THE NATIONAL POLICY FRAMEWORK AND STRATEGY ON PALLIATIVE CARE 2017‒2022: WHAT’S IN IT FOR TERMINALLY ILL INMATES IN SOUTH AFRICA?

In South Africa many people suffer from serious, incurable health conditions that may render them incapacitated and/or terminally ill. Such persons may inevitably require holistic care such as palliative care. The adoption in 2017 of the National Policy Framework and Strategy on Palliative Care 2017‒2022 (NPFSPC) in line with the Health Assembly Resolution 67.19 “Strengthening of Palliative Care as a Component of Comprehensive Care Throughout the Life Course” thus marked a significant milestone for advocates of palliative care, as well as for persons affected by terminal illness. Despite this positive step towards the fulfilment of the right to access healthcare, terminally ill persons who are inmates in South African correctional centres are not sufficiently protected by the NPFSPC. While the policy may be lauded for its detailed provisions aimed at affording appropriate care to free persons, it makes but a few fleeting references to inmates who are terminally ill – a very vulnerable group, given the often appalling conditions in correctional centres, the limited resources generally available to inmates and the stigma attached to them. It is therefore submitted that palliative care should be available to all inmates diagnosed with a terminal illness from the moment they are diagnosed. This article also analyses the stated purpose of the NPFSPC in relation to correctional settings, as well as the impact of disease on correctional centres, and the importance of fostering partnerships

The Right to Health Care of Terminally Ill Inmates in South Africa

Doctor Legum - LLDIn South Africa, prison authorities are not primarily concerned with the health of the prison population. This is evidenced by inter alia: the vast number of complaints regarding health care received by the Judicial Inspectorate of Correctional Centres; natural deaths in prisons reported annually; litigation regarding health care and treatment in prisons; and the notoriously poor conditions of detention which inevitably have a negative impact on prisoners' health. There is as a result a noticeable difference between state provided health care to the public and health care in prisons. This thesis is therefore aimed at unpacking what the right to health means in respect of terminally ill prisoners. This question has been overshadowed by issues regarding medical parole in South Africa and intermittently by calls for palliative care in prisons. Whilst these issues are relevant to their plight, there is a need to articulate the scope of the right to health of terminally ill prisoners. This is imperative as not all prisoners who are terminally ill are eligible for medical parole and there are instances where the granting of such parole may be impractical. An analysis of the right to health in relation to terminally ill prisoners will provide legal certainty as to the legal entitlements regarding health care for one of the most vulnerable groups in society. They will know what they may legally claim and what they cannot insist upon in terms of the law

Memento Mori

"Memento Mori" is a collection of poems largely regarding the topics of love, death, emptiness, and impermanence. Poems draw from the author's life, often through the interpretive lenses of Buddhism and Existentialism, following the modernist traditions of American poetry

Identification of a time-varying mechanical system using the Akaike information criterion

Cet article démontre l'intérêt du critère d'information d'Akaike pour les méthodes d'identification contenant une étape de projection de signaux de mesure sur des bases spécifiques. On s'intéresse particulièrement au problème d'identification de paramètres mécaniques variant dans le temps. La méthode est testée expérimentalement avec succès sur un système à un degré de liberté, constitué d'une inertie et d'une poutre à longueur variable travaillant en torsion. Les variations de cette longueur rendent les paramètres du système dynamique changeant. Une approche par moindre carré combinée à une projection des signaux mesuré sur une base polynomiale permet de reconstruire aisément les fluctuations des paramètres mécaniques. Cependant le choix de l'ordre de troncature de la base de projection est toujours un problème clef dans ce genre de méthode inverse et reste bien souvent une question ouverte. On propose ici d'utiliser le critère d'information Akaike permettant ainsi une sélection robuste et automatique de cet ordre de troncature. L'étude présentée ici ainsi que l'expérimentation montrent la pertinence et l'intérêt de ce type de critère associé aux méthodes d'identification