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Friday, 10 October, 2025

FOCUS: NHI

Private sector and state must join hands to fund healthcare – Minister

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has alluded to continued room for the private sector in healthcare financing, saying funding must be sustainable “not just for a single financial year but for generations to come”, and that the private sector should be part of the solution. The Minister, who has previously expressed reservations about National Health Insurance (NHI) funding, did not specifically refer to the planned scheme, but called for public/private sector partnerships. News24 reports that Godongwana has previously said he cannot budget to implement...
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NEWS UPDATE

SCA to hear BHF arguments in low-cost options appeal bid

The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has welcomed a decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal that will allow it to continue its legal fight for medical schemes to be able to offer low-cost benefit options, reports BusinessLIVE. Last week, the SCA agreed to hear oral arguments from the BHF in its application to appeal against a High Court ruling that dismissed its application to compel the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) to open the market to LCBOs, and potentially enable some 10m low-income earners to benefit. It has also asked the BHF to be ready to argue the merits of...

Unions demand lifestyle audits for all Tembisa staff

In the wake of the Tembisa Hospital corruption revelations, fed-up unions are demanding urgent lifestyle audits for all employees, and for all implicated staff to face legal action, reports News24. The National Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has highlighted the devastating effects of the looting, including critical shortages of nurses, doctors and essential infrastructure, and along with Cosatu, has urged MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to act decisively, warning of continued protests targeting the department. The unions say they want decisive eradication measures that spare no one, including their own members, and last week marched to the MEC’s offices in Johannesburg, demanding...

SAMA suspends ties with Israeli counterpart

Healthcare Workers 4 Palestine-South Africa has welcomed a decision by the South African Medical Association (SAMA) to suspend ties with the Israeli Medical Association. GroundUp reports that this follows a letter by HCW4P-SA addressed to South African healthcare institutions which stated: “The IMA, far from acting as an impartial guardian of medical ethics, has instead offered political cover for the state and failed to act against medical personnel engaged in violations of ethics and human rights.” The group protested outside several hospitals. Following these actions, SAMA announced its decision, in a statement, to “immediately suspend all professional and bilateral relations with the...

Public outrage over Eastern Cape hospital's fees for file-opening

A government hospital in the Eastern Cape has ignited widespread outrage after reminding the public on its Facebook page that patients have to pay “file-opening fees”, reports News24. However, the provincial Department of Health has said this is not a new initiative, and that the policy dates back 25 years. Uitenhage Provincial Hospital – in Nelson Mandela Bay metro – said on its Facebook page that it charges R55 for opening a patient file during regular operating hours and R70 after hours. The fees are part of its guidelines aimed at ensuring “efficient and quality healthcare services”, it noted. But the announcement...

State hospitals 'window dressing' to fake readiness for NHI

In efforts to pass muster from authorities, and obtain certificates of compliance before the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), government hospitals are apparently “borrowing” medical equipment and documents from other facilities for inspections, reports the Sunday Times. This week the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC) told Parliament that this “window dressing” is becoming increasingly common, with OHSC CEO Dr Simphiwe Mndaweni describing the practise as “unethical, impermissible and contrary to norms and standards regulations”. Oversight under strain The OHSC, which is mandated by the National Health Act to inspect and certify both public and private health establishments, told the...

Free State Health confirms malaria death and cases

A Free State man has died and two other people are receiving treatment after three laboratory-confirmed malaria cases were identified in a single household on a farm in the Luckhoff area, within the Xhariep District – a region not typically affected by the disease, reports Central News. The cases, identified at Mediclinic Bloemfontein, have prompted an urgent investigation into the source of infection, as none of the affected family has recently travelled to malaria-endemic areas. Authorities suspect Odyssean, or “suitcase” malaria, where a mosquito carrying the parasite is accidentally transported from an endemic region, though rare local transmission is also being explored....

US experts dispute calls for MMR jab to be split into three

A plan for vaccine makers to develop separate shots against measles, mumps and rubella to replace combination MMR vaccines, despite no evidence of any benefit to getting the jabs separately, has been criticised by US experts, who say there is no evidence to support the decision, reports CNN. The suggestion was posted on social media by acting director of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Jim O’Neill – who also serves as Deputy Secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services – after a 26 September post by President Donald Trump. The President didn’t give a reason when...

AG sounds alarm over NHLS financial audit

Most of the country’s provinces owe hefty amounts to the National Health Laboratory Services, which is still reeling from the crippling cyberattack in 2024, and resulted in the Auditor-General being unable to express an opinion on the veracity of its financial statements for 2024/2025, its worst audit outcome in more than a decade, reports BusinessLIVE. The disclaimer is a red flag that raises potential concerns about the NHLS’ financial management and governance. The NHLS, with its crucial role in the public health system, ground to a virtual standstill after the cyber attack in June 2024, resulting in delays in its external...

Steve Biko staff confirm system collapse after GDoH denial

The Gauteng Department of Health (GDoH) has denied that patient safety was compromised after a maintenance shutdown affected critical departments at the Steven Biko Academic Hospital. But the Daily Maverick says it – and hospital staff – stand by its article titled Power shutdown plunges Steve Biko Academic Hospital into chaos. On 30 September, Daily Maverick reported that staff said their patients suffered and that no proper contingency measures were in place during the shutdown which involved the evacuation and temporary relocation of patients and services over the weekend of 27 and 28 September. On 2 October, the GDoH put out a...

Discovery focuses on sleep to boost members’ health

Research by Discovery Health has confirmed that not only does insufficient sleep harm your health but it also dents your wallet, with three years of data suggesting that people who have irregular sleep patterns and get less than seven hours a night face a 22% higher mortality risk than the general population. BusinessLIVE reports that Discovery now plans to launch a personalised programme, and a wearable sleep-tracking smart ring, to encourage Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) members to improve their shut-eye and also reduce their healthcare bills. “People have a lot of choice and agency around their sleep,” said Ron Whelan,...

KZN Health MEC cleared of corruption

KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane-Mngadi has been cleared of graft allegations relating to her family and a loan from state bank Ithala, Premier Thami Ntuli has said. News24 reports that the announcement was made last week, when the Premier provided an update on corruption, fraud, and procurement irregularity allegations involving some departments. He said he had cleared the Health MEC because he “could not link” her to the company during the time it benefitted from the loan. Simelane-Mngadi told him the loan deal occurred when she “was still in school”, he added. Ntuli, who said he was a stickler for due process,...

US, Japan scientists win Nobel prize for immune system breakthrough

American scientists Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell – and Shimon Sakaguchi from Japan – won the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine on Monday for work shedding light on how the immune system spares healthy cells, creating openings for possible new autoimmune disease and cancer treatments, reports Reuters. Their discoveries relate to peripheral immune tolerance, or “how we keep our immune system under control so we can fight all imaginable microbes and still avoid autoimmune disease”, said Marie Wahren-Herlenius, a rheumatology Professor at Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, the awarding body. The institute said all three laureates brought to the fore so-called...

NICD urges vaccinations as measles cases continue to rise

The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has reported a continued rise in measles cases across South Africa, with Gauteng leading in the number of infections and Limpopo hot on its heels, reports TimesLIVE. The NICD said 1 100 laboratory-confirmed cases have been reported nationally by 19 September, marking an increase of 81 cases since the previous report. Gauteng (mostly Johannesburg) accounted for 610 cases, followed by Limpopo with 155, the Free State with 140, Mpumalanga with 82, and the Western Cape with 51. Limpopo has seen a significant rise in infections, with children aged one to 14 remaining the most affected...

Mental health patient tries to set bed alight

A fire was contained in the female psychiatry ward at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital on Monday, Gauteng Health said, when a mental health patient set fire to her bed while demanding to be discharged. TimesLIVE reports that security personnel responded and the fire was extinguished, while the fire department also arrived and helped to clear smoke from the affected area. “As a precautionary measure, patients were moved from the ward to allow for a thorough investigation,” the department said. No one was injured.   TimesLIVE article – Mental health patient tries to protest hospital stay by setting bed alight (Restricted access)   See more from...

Funding for Scottish researchers will help eczema sufferers

A new technology from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, which it anticipates will “revolutionise” eczema diagnosis and treatment, has secured more than £475 000 for clinical research, reports The Independent. The university believes its innovative vibro-acoustic sensor could alleviate “years of suffering for millions of patients across the UK”, said the researchers, who described current technology as dated and having not evolved in 10 years. The device operates by emitting small vibrations on to the skin’s surface, meticulously measuring material alterations within each layer. It identifies changes in tissue stiffness and fluid content. The substantial investment includes £275 000 from Scottish Enterprise and an additional sum of...

New MPS framework supports safer AI use in healthcare

A new framework, aimed to help healthcare practitioners in South Africa integrate AI safely and responsibly into practice, has been launched by Medical Protection. The AI Safer Practice Framework is made up of two parts: INFORMED and RECORDS. INFORMED guides ethical decision-making using AI, while RECORDS documents AI-assisted decisions for accountability and clinical rationale.  The framework has been structured around these acronyms to ensure it is practical and memorable. Dr Sarah Townley, Underwriting Policy Lead at Medical Protection, said: “The adoption and integration of AI into clinical care will be transformational, introducing a wealth of opportunities, and of course some risks. “In...

MEDICO-LEGAL

‘Cruel and predatory’ SA GP struck off Australia’s medical register

A South African doctor who had been practising in Australia has been struck off the medical register after being found guilty of having a sexual relationship with a vulnerable 24-year-old patient suffering from mental health issues and alcoholism. The Post reports that Dr Indren Moodley (55) was also found to have dangerously prescribed high-risk medication, and has been banned from practising medicine for four years. Moodley, a GP for 29 years, was subjected to a tribunal by the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) after it had received a complaint about him from the Medical Board of Australia, in which...

Pfizer’s birth control injection blamed for woman’s brain tumours

An ongoing lawsuit in the United States alleges that Pfizer failed to warn users of potential risks linked to the Depo-Provera birth control injection, and their increased chances of developing meningioma – or brain tumours, reports NBC News. The complaint has also been raised by several women in South Africa, all of whose lives have been disrupted by the devastation of meningioma. In the latest case in the US, for years, Robin Phillip (45) suffered from what she thought were migraines. But today she bears a scar that runs along the side of her head – the result of two craniotomies...

J&J to fork out $966m in talc cancer case

Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay $966m to the family of a woman who died from mesothelioma, with a Los Angeles jury finding the company liable in the latest trial alleging its talc products cause cancer, Reuters reports. The family of Mae Moore, who died at 88 in 2021, sued the company the same year, claiming J&J’s talc baby powder products contained asbestos fibres that caused her rare cancer. This week the jury ordered J&J to pay $16m in compensatory damages and $950m in punitive damages, according to court filings. The verdict could be reduced on appeal as the Supreme...

UK court blames anti-vax mother for daughter’s cancer death

A Cambridge graduate died after her conspiracy theorist mother made her “doubt” her cancer diagnosis, a British coroner has found. Paloma Shemirani (23) who had non-Hodgkin lymphoma, died at Royal Sussex County Hospital on 24 July 2024 after declining chemotherapy, and instead following an “alternative treatment programme”, including daily coffee enemas, led by her mother, prominent online conspiracy theorist Kate “Kay” Shemirani. The Telegraph reports that Paloma was “adversely influenced” by her mother, whose actions were “incomprehensible”, ruled Coroner Catherine Wood at Kent and Medway Coroner’s Court last week. Shemirani and Paloma’s father, Dr Faramarz Shemirani, who is “sympathetic” to his ex-wife’s views,...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

COVID-19

Repeat Covid-19 infections double long Covid risk – long-term NIH study

Most people now view Covid-19 as more of a nuisance than a danger, thanks to vaccines and past exposure to the virus – all of which have built up...

DIET

‘Planetary diet’ could avoid 40 000 daily deaths – global report

According to a landmark report by 70 experts from 35 countries, adoption of a plant-rich “planetary health diet” could prevent 40 000 early deaths a day around the world. The...

GERIATRICS

Education trumps heart health for memory in older people – Helsinki study

An association between higher education and better brain health can still be seen in people over 90, according to recent findings by a Finnish team, who said that in...

NEUROSCIENCE

Scientists detect protein clusters tied to Parkinson’s – Canadian-UK study

Marking a significant first, scientists have, for the first time, directly visualised and quantified the protein clusters believed to trigger Parkinson’s disease, signalling a major advance in the study...

NUTRITION

One type of vitamin D may slash levels of another – UK randomised study

Scientists have found that taking one type of vitamin D supplement appears to reduce the levels of another type that is more easily used by the body, and which...

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