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Tuesday, 20 May, 2025

FOCUS: PUBLIC HEALTH

Overtime non-payment for doctors sparks outrage in Gauteng

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
Health Department blunders left Gauteng doctors without overtime pay in the past month, sparking an outcry and adding to uncertainty and growing concern over a ministerial review of overtime for state health workers, notes MedicalBrief. A number of public sector doctors at facilities across Gauteng were not paid for overtime work on 29 April, without any notice, and affecting staff in facilities across the province. Only by 6 May did some doctors start to see payments reflect in their bank...
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NEWS UPDATE

Activists to oppose Gauteng Health's appeal on oncology ruling

SECTION27 and other health activists were disappointed that Gauteng Health had been granted leave to appeal a judgment in favour of the Cancer Alliance in March this year – allowing the department to take the matter to the Supreme Court of Appeal. They said they would oppose the department’s appeal against a High Court judgment that found its failure to provide radiation treatment to thousands of cancer patients was unconstitutional and unlawful. The March judgment also compelled the department to take all necessary steps to provide the patients with the services they required. “The Cancer Alliance and SECTION27 will oppose the...

Public servants' medical aids challenge for NHI

Redirecting the medical scheme contributions of public servants to the National Health Insurance (NHI) fund will need careful management as it will require changing their conditions of service, delegates to the annual Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) conference heard yesterday. Any changes flighted by the government to the generous medical scheme benefits provided to civil servants are expected to run into stiff opposition, as they are a prominent feature in wage negotiations, BusinessLIVE notes. The latest three-year wage agreement, for example, includes an increase to the medical scheme subsidy of medical price inflation plus 0.5%. Medical inflation usually outstrips consumer inflation...

Free State emergency healthcare tenders unlawful – Tribunal

The Free State Department of Health’s awarding of multimillion-rand tenders to an emergency services company was unlawful, according to the Special Tribunal which this week ruled against Buthelezi EMS and its affiliated companies. The Tribunal declared the tenders – for inter-facility emergency medical services – unprocedural and unconstitutional, reports TimesLIVE. The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) instituted civil proceedings to review and set aside the irregular tenders and subsequent contracts awarded to Buthelezi EMS, this after the department had paid R532m to four companies linked to owner Thapelo Buthelezi, despite having no valid contracts in place. Buthelezi One Stop Emergency Med was paid...

Tembisa Hospital arson suspect in court next week

A man who allegedly confessed to starting a fire that destroyed two units at Tembisa Hospital three weeks ago has implicated several accomplices, including a hospital security guard. A bail hearing at the Tembisa Magistrate’s Court has been scheduled for next week. Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said what began as a tip-off from an informant led to a surprising confession. “The informant was actually the suspect, and ended up admitting that he was involved in the hospital fire.” Detailed confession  The Citizen reports that investigators secured a “comprehensive confession from the suspect”, with crucial information regarding the “planning, payment, purchase of petrol used, preparation...

Gauteng underspends budget but owes suppliers R367m

The Gauteng Department of Health still owes service providers R367m, having paid just 21% of its invoices between January and March because of “significant cash flow constraints”, yet it had underspent by a significant R724m, it was revealed during the provincial Treasury’s briefing this week. Spokesperson Motalatale Modiba said it was forced it to “prioritise payments to the most critical and non-negotiable services” affecting service delivery, and that “a rollover request for R367m has been submitted to cover these commitments”. He said that during the 2024/25 financial year, the department spent R65.29bn of its adjusted budget of R66.01bn, translating to an...

HIV activists disrupt Parliament, urging action

HIV activists from the Global HIV Treatment Coalition interrupted the Portfolio Committee on Health yesterday, calling for a response to a letter they wrote to address the dramatically reduced public health funding, specifically related to HIV. The letter pleads with government to accelerate action in response to the US funding cuts, and requested an urgent meeting on the crisis, an immediate response to fund existing programmes, particularly overburdened facilities, and to make health jobs more sustainable over the next few years. Activists who disrupted the meeting were escorted out by security, writes Liezl Human for GroundUp. HIV activist Zackie Achmat said: “The question...

Call for action on booming fake drugs trade in SA

Counterfeit pharmaceutical product sales from online platforms and vendors are skyrocketing in South Africa, according to a newly-released independent report, which has called for tighter security measures, more accountability, and the establishment of a national pharma crime team. As consumers step up efforts to try to source cheaper versions of scheduled medications, the concerned stakeholders say regulatory gaps make it difficult for law enforcement to stop these illegal sales. The report from the Transnational Alliance to Combat Illicit Trade (Tracit) was released last week with Business Unity South Africa (Busa). Tracit is an independent NPO that aims to combat illicit trade globally,...

Gilead forks out $200m settlement after kickbacks to doctors

Pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences has settled a massive civil lawsuit and admitted to paying hundreds of thousands of dollars and kickbacks in the form of honoraria payments, meals, and travel expenses to healthcare practitioners who spoke at or attended Gilead speaker events to induce them to prescribe its HIV drugs. Under the settlement approved last week, Gilead has agreed to pay a total of $202m, of which $176 927 889.28 will be paid to the US and the remainder will be paid to various states.  As part of the settlement, Gilead also made extensive factual admissions regarding its conduct. The settlement...

US picks new bosses for top health posts

The White House has changed its mind about its nomination for America’s Surgeon-General post, withdrawing the nomination of Janette Nesheiwat in favour of Casey Means, a key figure in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement. The decision came a day before Nesheiwat, a physician and former Fox News medical commentator, was scheduled to appear before the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee on Thursday for a confirmation hearing, reports The Washington Post. She faced intense conservative criticism for her past advocacy for coronavirus vaccines and scrutiny of her medical education claims. Casey Means, with her brother, Calley Means, are key allies...

Global pandemic accord to be adopted

The pandemic treaty reached by World Health Organisation (WHO) member states in April and which took more than three years to negotiate will be presented to the World Health Assembly for adoption next week. The legally binding document, which aims to create a unified response to the next pandemic, is proof that nations can still stand together despite rising geopolitical tensions, said co-chair of the talks Precious Matsoso last week. In a plenary address to the annual Board of Healthcare Funders conference in Cape Town, she said the treaty was “a strong signal that together we stand to gain if there...

Trump order demands price slashing from pharma industry

An executive order signed this week by President Donald Trump directing pharmaceutical companies to drop their prices in line with what other countries pay will be challenging to implement, say analysts and legal experts. The order gives drugmakers price targets in the next 30 days, and will take further action to lower prices if those companies do not make “significant progress” toward those goals, reports Reuters. Trump told a press conference the government would impose tariffs if the prices in America did not match those in other countries, and said he wanted cuts of between 59% and 90%. The United States pays...

Top Liberian doctor struck off over qualification doubts

The head of Liberia’s doctors’ association has been banned from practising medicine after a regulatory body said it did not have evidence of his initial medical degree, which he has claimed was from Britain’s University of Hertfordshire. As part of a qualifications audit, the Liberia Medical and Dental Council (LMDC) had asked Peter Matthew George to provide his professional certificates. But in April, the LMDC told him that it had revoked his licence as he had not given satisfactory proof he had graduated in medicine from the Hertfordshire university as he had been claiming. However, George disputed the LMDC's findings, telling the...

US cuts off Zambian aid after theft of health supplies

Zambian Ministers have reacted angrily to the United States having further slashed health aid to the country, after the American ambassador publicly referring to what he described as “systemic theft” in the public health sector. US ambassador to Lusaka, Michael Gonzales expressed concern about corruption involving drugs donated by the US, triggering a warning by Foreign Minister Mulambo Haimbe against diplomats interfering in the country’s affairs. He said there was an “increasing tendency” by envoys to ignore diplomatic channels, which could undermine the “spirit of mutual respect”. The BBC reports that he did not mention names, but his comments were seen as...

NIH grant funds first comprehensive syphilis test

With global syphilis cases on the rise, the news of a $2.7m research grant towards the development of a one-stop diagnostic test has been welcomed by medical experts. In the United States, syphilis cases rose by nearly 80% between 2018 and 2023, with 209 253 cases reported in the latest year of data. The infection, which can be transmitted sexually or passed from mother to infant during birth, is curable but only if diagnosed quickly. Left untreated, syphilis can progress from painless lesions to brain and cardiovascular damage. However, despite the first recorded outbreak of the disease occurring more than 500 years...

Surgeon honoured for voluntary service on Mercy Ships

An American surgeon – Dr Gary Parker (72) – who has dedicated nearly 40 years to providing free, life-changing surgeries to African patients, has been honoured internationally for his remarkable service. Parker was recently recognised with the prestigious Humanitarian Award by the American College of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (ACOMS), which acknowledged his exceptional contributions to global healthcare. Parker has helped transform the lives of thousands of children and adults across 18 African nations through his volunteer work aboard the Mercy Ships hospital ships. His expertise in reconstructive surgery has restored health, dignity, and hope to children and adults suffering from...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Tiger Brands to settle some listeriosis claims – seven years later

Although Tiger Brands’ liability for the listeriosis outbreak in 2017/18 has yet to be determined in court, the company has agreed to settle certain claims in the long-running class action lawsuit linked to its now-closed Enterprise Foods facility in Polokwane, Limpopo. Seven years after South Africa experienced the largest documented listeriosis outbreak in history, resulting in more than 1 000 infections and 218 deaths, Tiger Brands says that the attorneys representing its lead reinsurer, QBE Insurance Group Limited, have presented a settlement offer to the plaintiffs’ attorneys as part of a “road-map to a possible overall resolution of the listeriosis...

PE woman still waiting for payment after decade-long negligence battle

Five years after winning a 10-year negligence battle in the Supreme Court of Appeal against the Eastern Cape Health Department, Felicia Meyers is still homeless and destitute, and awaiting a court date to determine the amount of money to be paid to her. In March 2010, Meyers (56), from Gqeberha, had undergone what was supposed to be routine laparoscopic cholecystectomy surgery at Livingstone Hospital to remove her gall bladder. But two perforations of her bile duct left her in agony and she was forced to have more surgery to fix it. The Sunday Times reports that she took her complaint to...

US man sues for blindness after taking Ozempic

An American who lost his sight after taking Ozempic for his diabetes is suing Novo Nordisk for what he says is a failure to warn patients of the possible association between the drug and the eye condition called NAION. His lawsuit says the manufacturer had an obligation to warn patients that blindness could be a possible side effect. NBC reports that Todd Engel (62), was prescribed Ozempic in 2023 to manage his type 2 diabetes, but about four months later, was diagnosed with nonarteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, a condition in which a loss of blood flow to the...

No bail for fake surgeon charged with woman’s death after implant removal

A man accused of posing as a plastic surgeon has been indicted on manslaughter charges after a woman he operated on died after a butt implant removal in New York. Felipe Hoyos-Foronda (38) was arraigned on second-degree manslaughter charges in the death of 31-year-old Maria Penaloza, a mother of two. On Monday, a judge ordered him held without bail. Officials say Hoyos-Foronda, who had no licence, performed the cosmetic surgery to remove implants from her buttocks in a makeshift clinic at his home. He is alleged to have given her lidocaine, a local anaesthetic, and saline through a syringe during a procedure...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

CARDIOVASCULAR

CRISPR therapy slashes ‘bad cholesterol’ by up to 80%

Promising early data has been revealed from the first clinical study of a gene editing therapy to lower the risk of heart disease, setting the stage for competition with...

GERONTOLOGY

Tennis ball test may indicate longevity – Finnish study

A quick test of strength with a tennis ball may be able to tell you if you’re going to live to 100-years-old, according to experts, who suggest that it...

ONCOLOGY

Late first birth and weight increases breast cancer risk – UK study

A British study has suggested a link between weight gain and having children later in life with a heightened risk of breast cancer, finding that women who had significant...

Weight-loss jabs could halve obesity-linked cancer risks – Israeli study

Weight-loss jabs could almost halve the risk of obesity-related cancers, a landmark study has suggested, with experts calling the findings “transformational”, and saying they could herald a “whole new...

GYNAECOLOGY

Early periods can be tied to what girls eat – US study

The foods in a child’s lunchbox could influence whether they experience their first menstrual cycle too early, according to recent research, which found that a more inflammatory diet was...

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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