FOCUS: MEDICAL PRACTICE
Moonlighting drains specialist care at state hospitals
At least a quarter of senior government doctors and specialists are abusing a dual-practice system allowed by the state by working both jobs at the same time, causing “artificial shortages” at state hospitals, and eroding the quality of training of would-be-specialists.
Doctors at government hospitals are legally allowed to do extra work in the private sector as long as they do this outside normal work hours. This is called dual-practice or moonlighting.
It makes it hard for junior staff to...
FOCUS: HARM REDUCTION
UK punts e-cigs in ambitious smoke-free plan, but US more cautious
As the UK prepares for a Smoke-free 2030 goal, the use of vaping as a means of doing so has again created divisions, with the US banning the popular Juul e-cigarette, notes Medical Brief.
A new report, commissioned by the UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, provides recommendations to achieve a “Smoke-free 2030”, reflecting the government’s ambition to reduce the smoking rate from 13.5% to 5% by the end of this decade.
Authored by Dr Javed Khan OBE,...
FOCUS: SPONSORED EDITORIAL
New diagnostic platform for dieticians a first for SA
Nutritional support for hospitalised patients can now be managed using the Medical Nutrition Therapy Tool (MNTT), a locally developed software platform believed to be a first for South Africa.
This is a simple yet effective tablet-based platform that will improve the clinical outcomes for patients by tracking the metabolic and nutritional progress of patients throughout their hospital stay. The tool was developed jointly by The Hospital Dietitians Interest Group (HDIG) and the Enteral Nutrition Association of South Africa (ENASA).
The problem
Because...
NEWS UPDATE
MEDICO-LEGAL
SOME OF THIS WEEK'S RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
