{
  "id": 10343480,
  "title": "For 20 years, Kwanele Asante told health systems to listen to patients. Then the UN gave her the mic",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/28/for-20-years-kwanele-asante-told-health-systems-to-listen-to-patients",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-28T02:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Bhekisisa",
    "slug": "bhekisisa",
    "url": "https://bhekisisa.org/article/profiles/2026-09-28-for-20-years-kwanele-asante-told-health-systems-to-listen-to-patients-then-the-un-gave-her-the-mic/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Kwanele Asante, a prominent South African activist for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health, recently addressed the United Nations General Assembly regarding these issues. Born into a family of healthcare providers in Soweto, Asante faced numerous health challenges throughout her life. Her parents met in a TB sanatorium, and she and her brother were raised by their mother after their father left when she was five. Asante's own health issues began with a breast cancer diagnosis at 37, which led her to become an activist and found BreastSens. She has since dealt with multiple illnesses, including chemotherapy-induced congestive heart failure, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and a functional neurological disorder. Despite these challenges, Asante has remained a powerful voice for those living with NCDs and mental health issues, rejecting the label \"breast cancer survivor\" to emphasize the interconnectedness of all her health experiences.",
  "summary": "You may not know her name, but South African lawyer and bioethicist Kwanele Asante has spent two decades pushing health institutions — from Soweto to the United Nations — to listen to the people their policies are meant to serve. Sean Christie traces a life defined, from birth, by healthcare. The post For 20 years, Kwanele Asante told health systems to listen to patients. Then the UN gave her the…",
  "key_points": [
    "Kwanele Asante is a South African activist for NCDs and mental health",
    "She addressed the UN General Assembly after 20 years of advocacy",
    "Asante founded BreastSens after her breast cancer diagnosis at 37"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}