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Tuesday, 15 July, 2025

FOCUS: MEDICAL SCHEMES

Top medical aid schemes guilty of racial bias, inquiry finds

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
Medical aid schemes and the Board of Healthcare Funders have rejected damning findings from a long-awaited inquiry into racial discrimination and profiling against black practitioners, but health professionals groups say it confirms the experiences of many black practitioners, notes MedicalBrief. The long-awaited Section 59 inquiry conluded that black practitioners faced a disproportionately higher likelihood of investigation and sanction. Discovery, the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) and Medscheme were found to have acted unfairly and in a “racially discriminatory manner towards black...
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NEWS UPDATE

NIH restores grants to SA scientists

The US National Institutes of Health (NIH) has – without explanation – lifted a hold on payments for scores of existing grants to South Africa, apparently softening its previous controversial change to its foreign funding policy that had put many clinical trials abroad in limbo, and hopefully rebooting critical research, reports Science. An alternative payment scheme announced this week could allow those studies to continue, and “I am delighted” that some projects can now move forward, said HIV researcher Monica Gandhi of the University of California-San Francisco, who has three NIH grants backing work in South Africa. Gandhi was among researchers...

Bullying of medical interns a ‘silent epidemic’ – KwaZulu-Natal study

Workplace bullying within the medical profession is a silent epidemic, with junior doctors being the most vulnerable, KwaZulu-Natal researchers have found. Writing in the SA Medical Journal, researchers from the College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal expressed concern that few cases are reported and that responses and feedback are weak and ineffectual. They called for greater awareness and action from, particularly, hospitals that host interns. The issue of intimation and bullying of young medical interns in South African institutions came to the fore in May with the unexpected death on duty at Prince Mshiyeni Hospital, uMlazi, of a diabetic doctor,...

Activists deny migrants access to hospitals and clinics

The National Department of Health has condemned the action taken by some groups to prevent foreign nationals from accessing essential healthcare services around the country, after campaigners in both Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal blocked clinic and hospital entry to migrant patients, demanding proof of identity before anyone was allowed in. This week, members of Operation Dudula in Gauteng and of the March and March movement in KZN began manning the entrances of government facilities that included Addington Hospital and Gateway Clinic in Durban, RK Khan Hospital in Chatsworth, and Hillbrow Clinic as well as Rosettenville Clinic, south of Johannesburg, in a...

Task team probes staff crisis at Livingstone Hospital

A task team from the Eastern Cape Department of Health is to present a report shortly on the staffing haemorrhage from Gqeberha’s Livingstone Hospital and the failure to fill positions in key departments, including surgery, internal medicine, radiology and ICU, where minimal replacements have been hired, reports News24. Doctors have left the hospital in droves over the past few years, with the remaining staff complaining that the department has simply failed to replace them. Medical practitioners said crucial departments have lost at least 30% of their doctors, leading to the surgery department warning patients in a notice in May not to expect...

Supervisor still suspended as probe continues into intern’s death

The supervisor who was placed on precautionary suspension after the death of Dr Aluluto Mazwi at Prince Mshiyeni Memorial Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal has not yet returned to work, confirmed MEC Nomagugu Simelane last week, adding that they were still awaiting the final report after an investigation by the Ombudsman. IOL reports that the 25-year-old intern doctor, who had previously been diagnosed with diabetes, had died while on duty in May allegedly after being instructed to report to work despite telling his supervisor he was ill. Mazwi had been working at the uMlazi hospital since July last year. The MEC said the department...

Vaccinations urged as measles infections spread in Free State

Health authorities in the Free State have confirmed 64 cases of measles across the Lejweleputswa district in children aged between five and nine, reports SABC News, hard on the heels of rising cases across Gauteng. They are urging parents and caregivers to ensure their children are vaccinated against the disease or to take them to the nearest healthcare facility if they have symptoms that include fever, runny nose, a rash and conjunctivitis. They warn that the highly contagious viral infection can lead to serious health complications and have stressed the importance of vigilance for symptoms. In Gauteng, the Department of Health...

New SAHPRA board members

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has announced and welcomed its newly appointed board members, effective from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2030. They are Dr Thapelo Motshudi (chairperson), Professor Glenda Gray (vice-chairperson), Dr Alfred Kgasi, Dr Chevon Clark, Dr Johanna Gouws, Dr Thobeka Boltina, Mmatebogo Nkoenyane, Anthony Ngcezula, Rajesh Mahabeer, Nkosenhle Ngongoma and Moses Moselekwa. SAHPRA CEO Dr Boitumelo Semete-Makokotlela praised the outgoing board for their support and guidance throughout the years, especially during the Covid-19 global pandemic.   See more from MedicalBrief archives:   SAHPRA board appointed   SAHPRA’s Helen Rees: an appetite for justice   SAHPRA boss Semete-Makokotlela a leader with ‘unparalleled focus’

First malaria drug for newborns and babies approved

Novartis has received approval in Switzerland for Coartem Baby, the first drug to treat malaria in babies and very young children, with eight African countries which participated in the assessment now expected to issue quick approvals for the treatment, reports Reuters. The treatment, also known as Riamet Baby in some countries, was developed with scientific and financial support from Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV), a Swiss non-profit group working to deliver medicines to treat, prevent and eliminate the disease. The new infant version of the drug is dissolvable, including in breast milk, and has a sweet cherry flavour to make it easier...

EU funding boosts SA’s pandemic readiness with genomic research

South Africa is cementing its leadership role in global pandemic preparedness through a major expansion of its genomic surveillance partnership with Germany and the EU, with the next phase of the Genomic Surveillance Project launching at the Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), Stellenbosch University’s epidemic response institute. With a total investment of R12m, the project will boost real-time tracking of pathogens like influenza and H5N1 avian flu, support research infrastructure, and train the next generation of African scientists, reports the Cape Argus. The project is a collaboration between CERI and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), under the...

WHO punts 50% global tax hike for alcohol, tobacco and sugary drinks

The World Health Organisation wants health taxes hiked worldwide to slow down the epidemic of non-communicable diseases, pointing to a recent report suggesting that a 50% price rise on sugary drinks, alcohol and tobacco could prevent 50m premature deaths over the next half century, reports News24. Tobacco on its own causes more than 7m deaths per annum, and health taxes “are one of the most efficient tools we have”, according to Jeremy Farrar, the WHO’s assistant director-general of health promotion and disease prevention and control. “They cut the consumption of harmful products and create revenue governments can reinvest in health care,...

Zimbabwe's $400m medical equipment bid fans outrage

Questions are being raised in Zimbabwe after reports that the government is allegedly supporting a bid by a controversial businessman to supply medical drugs and cancer treatment equipment worth more than $400m via his South African company, TTM Global Medical Exports, reports allAfrica. ZANU PF member and businessman Wicknell Chivayo is listed as a director on the website of the company – registered in November 2024 with its address being a hotel in Sandton, Gauteng, fuelling questions about its legitimacy. Critics allege the deal, if awarded, would represent another instance of corruption linked to President Emmerson Mnangagwa. The uproar follows Mnangagwa’s recent...

State facilities rack up R297m natural disaster damages

Floods and storms have resulted in millions of rands in damages to South African health facilities – hospitals, clinics and nursing homes – over the past two years, reports Daily Investor, the Eastern Cape being the worst hit, with nearly R130m in damages In response to a recent parliamentary question from DA MP Michéle Clarke, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaleldi said data from six provinces showed that natural disasters had cost, in total, around R297m. Clarke had asked how many facilities had been damaged by floods and storms in each province during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years; the cost of destruction...

200 children with lead poisoning after Chinese school adds paint to food

In an attempt to make its food look more colourful and attract more pupils, a kindergarten in western China added paint to its food, resulting in abnormally high levels of lead being detected in the blood of more than 200 children, reports AP. The case highlights long-running food safety concerns in China. State broadcaster CCTV said the the Heshi Peixin Kindergarten had bought the paint online and added it while preparing the food. High levels of lead were found in a three-colour breakfast cake and a sausage dish for dinner. Of the 251 pupils at the school, 233 had abnormal lead levels,...

USAID cancels 100 000 emergency rape survivor kits for DRC

The Trump administration cancelled a major contract to supply 100 000 emergency kits for rape survivors in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as violence surged in the country this year, leaving thousands without access to lifesaving medication, the United Nations and aid groups have said. Reuters reports that the kits include medication to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, as well as unwanted pregnancies. America disbursed $65bn in foreign assistance last year, nearly half of it via USAID, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and other aid organisations are now trying to raise at least $35m to cover...

Kenya introduces warning labels after nutrition report

According to a recently released independent report, most of the packaged food and drink sold in Kenya by local and international companies is likely to require a health warning label under newly drafted government rules, reports Reuters. Kenya released its nutrient profile model this month, and committed to using it to develop front-of-package labels. The report by the non-profit Access to Nutrition Initiative found that under those rules, 90% of products sold by both international companies like Coca-Cola and Nestle as well as by local firms contained either too much salt, sugar or saturated fat. Around two-thirds of the products would also...

Australian dies from rare bat bite virus

A man has died from an “extremely rare” rabies-like infection transmitted by a bat bite – only three previous cases of human infection by the Australian bat lyssavirus having been recorded since it was first identified in 1996, and all of them fatal, reports ABC News. The victim, in his 50s, was bitten by the bat several months ago, according to the health service in New South Wales. Officials said he had been treated after the bite, and they were investigating to see whether other exposures or factors played a role in his illness. Trish Paterson, a wildlife carer for more than...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Pregnant doctor, medical groups sue over Kennedy’s Covid jab rules

Medical and public health organisations have sued the United States Department of Health and Human Services and its Secretary over changes to the country’s vaccine policy, asking the courts to restore the Centre for Disease Control’s recommendation to vaccinate children and pregnant women against Covid-19, reports Medpage Today. The groups focused on Robert F Kennedy Jr’s directive to end the CDC’s recommendation to issue the shots to these categories, but also listed numerous actions they say undermine American vaccine policy. That included removing all 17 of the CDC’s top vaccine advisers and cancelling or postponing vaccine advisory meetings. Plaintiffs included the...

Jury awards $2.25m to decapitated baby’s parents after autopsy posted online

A US jury awarded $2.35m damages against a pathologist who shared – on social media – pictures of a baby decapitated during birth, reports NBC. The pathologist, who did not have the parents’ permission, defended his actions as part of a physician’s duty to inform the public of safety concerns in healthcare. The parents, Treveon Taylor and Jessica Ross, will receive $2m in compensatory damages and an additional $250 000 in punitive damages against the pathologist, Dr Jackson Gates, whom they sued in September 2023 for invasion of privacy, and Medical Diagnostic Choices in Atlanta. The baby was deceased at the time...

British military aircrew sue after cancer diagnoses

Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) is being sued by at least 180 current and former armed forces aircrew who have cancer which they claim was caused by exposure to toxic fumes in helicopters, reports the BBC. The MoD – which said it believed engine exhaust emissions posed no health risk – had confirmed in February it was trying to determine the number of people who served as aircrew and who have been diagnosed with cancer, and that it was testing the exhaust emissions of its rotary wing aircraft. RAF flight sergeant Zach Stubbings, who died aged 47 in January, is one...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

COVID-19

Half of SA’s Covid-19 patients had long-term mental issues – UCT study

A study by the University of Cape Town funded by the SA Medical Research Council found that more than 50% of South Africans who were infected with Covid-19 suffered mental...

GENETICS

Vitamin D may slow cells’ ageing – Harvard study

Recent research suggests vitamin D supplements may help prevent the loss of telomeres, DNA sequences that shrink with ageing, but the scientists said the health effects aren’t yet clear,...

MENTAL HEALTH

Early puberty tied to elevated mental health risk – German cohort study

German researchers have suggested that patients diagnosed with central precocious puberty (CPP) – in which physical changes related to pubertal development occur earlier than usual – had a nearly 50% greater...

NEUROLOGY

Dementia risk may be lower in cancer survivors – Korean study

Findings from a large Korean study suggests that radiation therapy may reduce by up to 23% the risk of dementia for some cancer survivors, compared with those who had...

Mpox can leave lasting brain damage –  Swiss study

Research by University of Bern scientists suggests that the mpox virus can also infect the human brain and damage brain cells, findings they say are important from a public...

OBSTETRICS

Planned C-sections tied to childhood cancer risk – Swedish cohort study

Researchers from the Swedish Karolinska Institutet have suggested that children born via planned Caesarean section procedures might have a heightened risk of developing certain childhood cancers, reports The Independent, although the...

ONCOLOGY

Contraceptive pills not linked to high liver cancer risk

There was little association, if any, between ever using oral contraceptives and the risk of liver cancer, a large population-based study showed, although risk slightly increased with longer duration...

VACCINES

RSV and shingles jabs tied to lower dementia risk – Oxford analysis

A recent large analysis of more than 400 000 American adults suggested that two AS01-adjuvanted vaccines for different pathogens – the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine (Arexvy) and the...

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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