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Wednesday, 16 October, 2024

FOCUS: NHI

Government plays for time on NHI court cases

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
Will government consider amendments to the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act? As government lawyers seek more time to respond to two lawsuits against the Act, President Cyril Ramaphosa reopening talks with key stakeholders and the Health Minister continuing with public discussions, there is speculation that the door may be open for some amendments, notes MedicalBrief. Government has missed the deadline to respond to papers filed by Solidarity four months ago, with the union now saying it will continue to argue...
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NEWS UPDATE

PSA demands reinstatement of suspended hospital managers

The Public Servants Association of South Africa (PSA) has called on the Mpumalanga Department of Health to escalate the reinstatement of hospital managers it said had been “illegally suspended”. A report by the HOD on 21 December last year had said the suspended personnel were due back at work on 31 January 2024 because proper procedures were not followed: that the matter had been investigated, and the dismissals were not properly conducted. It is alleged that most of the eight managers were shown the door after accusations of poor performance by some of the labour federations, who then pressured the Department...

Most mpox cases can’t be tracked, says Africa CDC

The Africa Centres for Disease Control & Prevention says that while cases of mpox are steadily increasing across the continent, nearly three-quarters of them have no epidemiological link – meaning they’re being detected in people not being monitored by health workers, and who aren’t known to have been in contact with previously identified cases. Africa CDC Director-General Dr Jean Kaseya said there are concerning gaps in the continental response in areas of surveillance, contact tracing, and data collection, and at least 68% of the cases can’t be tracked. So far this year, there have been more than 32 400 suspected cases, of...

Patients wait 24 hours to see doctor at struggling Eastern Cape hospital

Gqeberha’s Livingstone Hospital, one of the biggest in the Eastern Cape, is buckling under the strain of chronic staff shortages – from doctors and nurses to porters – as well as overcrowding, and, last week, striking security staff. A senior medical professional at the hospital said the crisis was worsening by the day, and that in some cases, patients had to wait 24 hours to see a doctor. “The situation is critical and warrants urgent investigation and public attention. The current state of affairs is unsustainable and directly threatens healthcare professionals and patients,” he told News24. He said the province lacked after-hours...

Lupus treatment trial paused after deaths

The US Food and Drug Administration has placed a clinical hold on Kezar Life Sciences’ mid-stage trial of experimental drug for lupus, after the company said it was reviewing the safety data of zetomipzomib in connection with the deaths of four patients in the Philippines and Argentina. Reuters reports that Kezar was testing the drug in patients with active lupus nephritis, which causes inflammation and damage in the kidneys due to a form of the immune-related condition lupus. An independent study committee had recommended pausing the trial when it found that three of the fatalities showed a common pattern of symptoms and...

Rwanda starts Marburg vaccine trial

Rwanda launched a vaccine trial against the Marburg virus on Sunday in desperate efforts to combat an outbreak which has already killed a dozen people since 27 September. The first cases were detected among patients in health facilities, but there is still no confirmation of the source of the outbreak, reports Al Jazeera. The experimental vaccine, currently in phase 2 trials, was provided by the US-based Sabin Vaccine Institute. Health Minister Sabin Nsanzimana Nsanzimana said the shots would prioritise people who were “most at risk, most exposed healthcare workers working in treatment centres, in the hospitals, in ICU, in emergency, but also...

British MPs to vote on assisted dying

The UK has become the latest country to consider assisted suicide legislation, with MPs, for the first time in almost a decade, set to vote on proposals allowing terminally ill people in England and Wales the right to choose to end their life. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who is putting forward the Bill, said “now is the time” to hold a fresh debate on assisted dying – after MPs rejected a Bill on the issue in 2015 – while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has supported a change in the law, reports the BBC. Leadbeater said her proposals would give eligible adults...

Snake anti-venom stocks dry up again

The production of snake anti-venom in South Africa appears to have come to a standstill again, with health practitioners – as well as vets – battling to get their hands on stock. This has led to the deaths of thousands of dogs, among other issues, according to Johan Marais, CEO of the African Snakebite Institute. He told Farmer’s Weekly that since the Covid-19 pandemic, South African Vaccine Producers (SAVP), which forms part of the National Health Laboratory Service, has had huge production problems, and over the past few years there had been multiple instances when anti-venom was in severely short supply. “We...

Gilead inks deal for generic HIV drug supply to low-income nations

Gilead Sciences has granted royalty-free licences to six generic drug manufacturers to make and sell cheaper copycat versions of its HIV prevention medicine in 120 low and lower-middle income countries. Reuters reports that it will also provide the companies’ branded version of the lenacapavir in 18 countries, including Botswana, Ethiopia and Kenya, until they establish manufacturing capacity and can fully support demand. These countries represent about 70% of HIV cases. The licensing agreements have been signed with India’s Dr Reddy’s Laboratories, Emcure Pharmaceuticals, and Hetero Labs, as well as US-based Viatris’s unit Mylan, Egypt’s Eva Pharma and Pakistan-based Ferozsons Laboratories. The deals were...

Toenail oil ‘doesn’t cure fungus’, says regulator

A commercial promising a wonder cure for infected toenails – and which has drawn dozens of complaints over the years – has again drawn the ire of the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB), after two consumer complaints. The advert, displaying images of discoloured toenails and infected toenails transforming into shiny, perfect specimens after the application of a special oil, “introduces” Homemark’s “... tried and tested Aragan Secret Nail Treatment Oil… harvested from the Aragan tree found only in Morocco ...” The narrator says the oil contains ingredients that ensure “low pH levels to not only keep your nails smooth and attractive ...” TimesLIVE reports...

Zambia to manufacture cholera vaccine

In a collaboration between Zambia and China, a recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and China’s JIJIA International Company Ltd intends to position the African country as the first on the continent to manufacture the cholera vaccine. The Lusaka Times reports that the deal is part of the Zambia Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Initiative, with key support from partners like Shanghai United Cell Biotechnology Company. The agreement comes as Zambia continues its role as a Global Cholera Champion, having co-sponsored the Cholera Prevention and Control Resolution, which aims to eliminate cholera by 2030. Zambia is among a...

UK doctor struck off after leaving unsecured records in flat

A British doctor, who was already suspended when she left abortion papers, psychiatric reports and other confidential patient records at her rented flat after she moved out, has now been struck off the medical register. Dr Maryam Mohamed Al Qureshi, previously known as Dr Victoria Pickles when she qualified from Leeds University in 2006 but who changed her name in 2018, was previously suspended after a 2022 Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found her guilty of failing to provide good clinical care by not calling an ambulance when a patient called the NHS 111 hotline. In the latest case, she had left...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Court denies Cape gynae’s plea to restore hospital privileges

A Western Cape obstetrician and gynaecologist, suspended last year after two patients died, was given short shrift by the court this week after he appealed for reinstatement of his privileges at a private hospital. In May 2023, Dr Ganes Anil Ramdhin pleaded guilty to “unprofessional conduct” before the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) after a much publicised case involving two cancer patients, Zoleka Helesi and Beauty Mama, who subsequently died from botched gynaecological surgery. He was suspended from the register of practitioners for an effective one year, meaning he could not lawfully continue to practise during this period. But, reports...

Parents lose sterilisation case against doctor

The parents of a now six-year-old child, who were claiming damages from a Free State gynaecologist they accused of failing to perform a sterilisation procedure, have lost their case. The couple was seeking R5m from the doctor based on patrimonial loss arising from their duty to support their child. They argued that the child, born in May 2018, was the result of the doctor’s failure to perform the sterilisation, reports The Star. Their claim was based on an alleged breach of contract or, alternatively, delict. Meanwhile, the doctor filed a special plea, arguing that the claim had lapsed – that the...

Gauteng's negligence payouts up by 36%

Astronomical amounts in medical negligence claims have been paid out by provincial Health Departments, with Gauteng’s having soared 36% in the past year – increasing to R696m in 2023/24 from R512m the year before. Business Day’s analysis of the data provided by Health Minister Motsoaledi in response to questions from EFF MP Vuyani Pambo shows Gauteng’s trajectory is in sharp contrast to most of the other provinces, which – with the exception of Limpopo and the Northern Cape – paid out less in negligence claims in 2023/24 than they did the year before. Payouts fell 41% in KwaZulu-Natal to R119m in...

Gauteng pair to repay R5m after sale of unregulated masks

Unapproved face masks – sold for R5m by two Gauteng men during the Covid-19 pandemic – had to be destroyed because they were sold without regulatory approval, with the Gauteng High Court ruling that the pair had acted recklessly and ordering them to pay back the money. Boksburg’s Michiel and Morne Stassen were held personally liable for selling the KN95 masks that their company, KMSG Outsourced Services, sold for R5m to Lluvia Trade Division in Gauteng without approval from the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS). News24 reports that the judge also found the pair couldn’t keep their story straight about...

Novo, Lilly sued by patients for gastroparesis

Swedish drugmaker Novo Nordisk has denied that its diabetic drug Ozempic is responsible for causing stomach paralysis in patients, and has vowed to “vigorously defend” itself against any such claims – by thousands of Americans – which it says are “without merit”. The plaintiffs, from across the US, are claiming in a federal lawsuit that Ozempic, Mounjaro and other popular drugs prescribed for diabetes and obesity harmed their health, and that the pharmaceutical companies that manufactured them failed to warn patients of their risks. USA Today reports that the lawsuit against Novo, as well as Eli Lilly, was filed this year....

Operating team describes spleen surgery gone horribly wrong

A US Health Department has issued an emergency licence suspension for an osteopath who removed a patient’s liver instead of his spleen, contributing to his death – described by his wife as “unnecessary and brutal”. The emergency suspension order from the Florida Health Department details how Thomas Shaknovsky severed William Bryan’s inferior vena cava, the vessel that connects the liver with the heart, “resulting in the bleeding event that precipitated his death”. It also documents that a year earlier, Shaknovsky had removed a portion of a patient’s pancreas when he was supposed to remove an adrenal gland, reports Medpage Today. “Dr Shaknovsky’s...

UK doctor struck off after leaving unsecured records in flat

A British doctor, who was already suspended when she left abortion papers, psychiatric reports and other confidential patient records at her rented flat after she moved out, has now been struck off the medical register. Dr Maryam Mohamed Al Qureshi, previously known as Dr Victoria Pickles when she qualified from Leeds University in 2006 but who changed her name in 2018, was previously suspended after a 2022 Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service found her guilty of failing to provide good clinical care by not calling an ambulance when a patient called the NHS 111 hotline. In the latest case, she had left...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

COVID-19

Impact of severe Covid on brain’s ‘control centre’ – UK study

British researchers have suggested that severe Covid infections may drive inflammation in the brain’s “control centre”, causing damage that could explain the long-term breathlessness, fatigue and anxiety experienced by some patients. High-resolution MRI scans of 30 people hospitalised with Covid early in the pandemic, before the introduction of vaccines, found...

NATURAL REMEDIES

Omega-3 cuts aggression by nearly 30% – US meta-analysis

A recent meta-analysis suggests that omega-3, available as dietary supplements via fish oil capsules and thought to help with mental and physical well-being, could also reduce aggression. The fatty acids have previously been linked to preventing schizophrenia, while aggression and anti-social behaviour are thought in part to stem from a...

OBSTETRICS

Heart defect risk for babies conceived through IVF – Swedish study

Babies conceived through certain fertility treatments, including in vitro fertilisation, are more likely to have major heart defects, although cases are still rare, researchers reported recently in the largest study of its kind. The research, which included medical records of more than 7m Nordic children, also bolstered evidence that IVF...

NEUROLOGY

Viral infections linked to Alzheimer’s – large US study

In a study of more than 450 000 people, researchers found a significant 22 connections between viral infections and neurodegenerative conditions, suggesting that people treated for viral encephalitis were 31 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (for every 406 viral encephalitis cases, 24 later developed Alzheimer’s – around...

DIETETICS

Longer sleep, early breakfast, affects BMI – Spanish study

A recent study suggests that there are patterns in the relationship between meal times and body weight, with the scientists saying that to keep weight in check, it’s not only important to consider what we eat, but also the times at which we do so. They said two specific habits...

NEUROSCIENCE

Why schizophrenic patients hear voices – Chinese-US study

Scientists have long puzzled over the origins of auditory hallucinations, and the “hearing of voices”, a symptom affecting many with schizophrenia. A recent study from researchers in China and the United States may have cracked a crucial part of this longstanding enigma, potentially paving the way for better treatments and...

ABOUT US

MedicalBrief is Africa’s authoritative weekly digest of medical matters, both on the continent and around the world. It brings you a succinct summary of the latest developments, both in news and research, with links to the original material. Contact us: info@medicalbrief.co.za

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