South Africa's hotline for healthcare workers seeking guidance on HIV and TB has gone offline, Business Day reported on Thursday, 17 September 2026. The service, described by the publication as crucial, is no longer available to the health workers who relied on it.
According to Business Day, the hotline served as a dedicated point of contact for clinicians and other health personnel handling HIV and TB cases. Its closure removes a resource that supported frontline staff in their day-to-day work on both diseases.
The report does not state why the line was taken down, nor does it indicate whether the shutdown is permanent or temporary. Business Day also does not specify how many users the service reached or which organisation operated it.
HIV and TB remain significant public health concerns in South Africa, and healthcare workers dealing with these conditions depend on reliable channels for clinical advice and support. A hotline aimed specifically at those workers forms part of that support structure, which makes any interruption notable for the sector.
Business Day's headline frames the development as the loss of an essential service, though the publication's summary provides no further detail on the circumstances surrounding the shutdown.
What to watch next: whether South African health authorities or the hotline's operator confirm the reason for the outage and announce a restoration date or a replacement service for affected healthcare workers.