A Focus
NHCPA's 'racial profiling' action thrown out in 2018, bounces back into CMS's lap
July 10th, 2019 The National Health Care Professionals Association's crusade against 'racial profiling' took a blow when its court application against 19 medical schemes was thrown out of court, in late 2018, because the NHCPA had no legal authority to bring the...
Discovery acts on technologist's 'illegal and unethical’ refusal to provide treatment
July 3rd, 2019 The death of a Northern KwaZulu-Natal woman after a "blackmailing" medical technologist refused to provide dialysis, citing suspended payments by Discovery Health, has drawn a strong response from the medical scheme. "This was illegal and...
Hospitals of fear: Police and guards 'run away' during attacks on patients
July 3rd, 2019 Highlighting again the unsafe conditions in SA's public hospitals, police and security guards allegedly fled while a gunshot-wound patient was being violently assaulted. Separately, a gang attack at a Gauteng clinic has caused nurses to refuse to do...
GEMS appeals ruling placing it under Public Protector jurisdiction
July 3rd, 2019 GEMS (Government Employees Medical Scheme), is appealing a North Gauteng High Court ruling that granted the Public Protector jurisdiction over it, reports Business Day. GEMS says it is important that the medical scheme industry "obtains clarity...
Memory changes may predate Alzheimer’s onset by 40 years
June 26th, 2019 An international study suggests those at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease due to family history may demonstrate changes in memory performance as early as their 20s. The data was gathered through an online word-pair memory test called...
Measles vaccine also delivers significant long-term health, cognition, and schooling benefits
June 26th, 2019 Aside from the measles vaccine preventing an estimated 21.1m child deaths between 2000-2017 and reducing all-cause childhood mortality and infectious disease morbidity outcomes, a study finds it is also associated with significant long-term health,...
Working long hours linked with increased stroke risk
June 26th, 2019 People who worked long hours had a higher risk of stroke, especially if they worked those hours for 10 years or more, according to research. Researchers reviewed data from CONSTANCES (Cohorte des Consultants des Centres d'Examens de Santé), a...
Switch from red meat to cut mortality risk — 8-year Harvard study
June 19th, 2019 Increased red meat intake, particularly processed red meat, is associated with a heightened risk of death, suggests a large, eight-year US study led by Frank Hu, at the department of nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. However,...
DNA-evidence shows link between gingivitis and Alzheimer's
June 19th, 2019 DNA-evidence shows that gingivitis plays a substantial role in increasing Alzheimer's disease risk, found a small US study. You don't only avoid holes in your teeth by keeping good oral hygiene, researchers at the University of Bergen have...
Attacks on doctors highlight security dangers in state hospitals
June 12th, 2019 Free State University has resumed training at a Bloemfontein hospital, briefly suspended over security concerns following an incident where a doctor prevented a rape attempt only by virtually biting off her assailant's tongue. UFS briefly...
In milestone trial, experimental drug markedly delays type 1 diabetes
June 12th, 2019 Marking the culmination of a 33-year odyssey, scientists report a milestone in type 1 diabetes: the first time the disease has been markedly delayed in young people at high risk. Presenting at the American Diabetes Association meeting in San...
Study tests the goal of 10,000 daily steps to reduce mortality risk
June 12th, 2019 The goal of 10, 000 daily steps is widely believed to be necessary for health, but this number has limited scientific basis. A large, four-year US study of older women found that while risk of death decreases substantially with more steps taken,...
Legal 'jumble' behind gynaecologist's 5-year jail sentence
June 5th, 2019 The recent Gauteng High Court judgment upholding a 5-year jail sentence for gynaecologist Dr Danie van der Walt fails to make unambiguous SA's criminal law position on culpable homicide and doctors but there is little prospect of a legislative...
SA's new health minister is the 'master of survival'
June 5th, 2019 Dr Aaron Motsoaledi leaves the national Health Department after 10 years, with the last few years marred by major failures in public health, while the appointment of 'master of survival' Dr Zweli Mkhize as the new Minister of Health indicates a...
Two trials offer substantive hope for prostate cancer patients
June 5th, 2019 The phase III ENZAMET trial found that 80% of men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer who received the non-steroidal anti-androgen (NSAA) medicine enzalutamide (Xtandi) along with the standard of care treatment were alive after three...