News

Ryan Conybeare, UPD Business Development Manager, says that although the World Health Day awareness campaign is held on the 7th April each year, pharmacies make good health and wellbeing easily accessible throughout the year. "The Link group fully supports local and global health awareness days but we encourage our customers to talk to their pharmacists, [...]

As COVID-19 dominates the headlines, let's not take our eyes off tuberculosis (TB) which resulted in the death of 1.6 million people globally in 2018. Closer to home, according to WHO (World Health Organisation), South Africa has the highest incidence of TB after India and China. Approximately 1% of our population develops active TB disease [...]

According to a study by Harvard, healthy habits can make a big difference to one's life expectancy. Their analysis showed that people who follow all five healthy habits (see below) not only lived longer but also enjoyed a better quality of life. The analysis indicated that if these healthy habits were observed from the [...]

The pandemic has occupied the minds of many, perhaps taking one’s eye off other common diseases which afflict  so many people. In most instances, apart from treatment and medication, a change of lifestyle can go a long way towards improving  one’s health and well-being. This is where New Year resolutions come to the fore, often [...]

According to CANSA (Cancer Association of South Africa), there are 5 myths that we need to dispel about the sun and skin cancer. The sun is only dangerous in summer or on a hot day. Sunscreen will protect you completely from the harmful effects of the sun’s rays. One or two cases of sunburn will [...]

According to Diabetes South Africa, there is no such thing as 'mild' diabetes. The condition must be taken seriously. However, many people who have Type 2 diabetes are not even aware that they need treatment as the condition is undetected. What are the symptoms of Type 2 diabetes that you should know about? Excessive thirstiness [...]

While there is a special focus at this time of the year to raise awareness levels of breast cancer, CANSA encourages  women to make their health a priority all year round by being aware of the symptoms of cancer. The risk of COVID-19  infection may well discourage some from visiting their GP or gynaecologist for [...]

If the COVID-19 pandemic was not enough to be worried about, South Africans should be very concerned about cardiovascular disease (CVD). According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation, after HIV/ AIDS, cardiovascular disease, (CVD) is the leading cause of death in South Africa. In fact, 215 people die of heart disease or strokes every day. [...]

From humble beginnings Liatile (Lia) Ntoa celebrates the 10th anniversary of People’s Choice Pharmacy, a Link pharmacy in Kokstad. Her natural drive and sense of community has seen Lia open two additional pharmacies, Crystal Pharmacy and East Griqualand Pharmacy. Lia, how did it all begin? I had been thinking about starting my own pharmacy for [...]

In the midst of COVID-19, National Women’s Month is a timely reminder to pay special attention to making health a priority. While one can take your own measures to take care of your health, healthcare facilities, medical practices and pharmacies remain open when needed. For those who would prefer not to risk infection by visiting [...]