A Focus
Consumers stockpile unproven drugs to self-medicate against COVID-19
March 25th, 2020 Consumers worldwide are stockpiling and self medicating on drugs — chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, ritonavir and umifenovir — that have been hyped as cures on social media and by President Donald Trump, but have so far shown no efficacy in...
Most cases 'mild’ and lockdown will flatten the curve — Mkhize
March 25th, 2020 Despite exponential daily increases in coronavirus infections over the past few day, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize is confident that the national lockdown will see a decrease by the third week, writes MedicalBrief. Mkhize also says most patients...
Supreme Court of Appeal's split decision over surgical negligence
March 18th, 2020 In a split decision by the Supreme Court of Appeal, a Port Elizabeth woman has won a 10-year negligence action over two small nicks to her bile duct during an operation to remove her gall bladder, reports MedicalBrief. The...
World in lockdown as global infections exceed 200,000
March 18th, 2020 Emergencies were declared in SA and Australia while the EU sealed its borders and infections surfaced in every state in the USA, writes MedicalBrief. In the UK, a chilling modelling study forced an abrupt change in...
Medical cannabis in SA: Weighing the evidence
March 11th, 2020 Current limited evidence of the benefits of medical cannabis may be outweighed by the lack of consistent efficacy and risk of adverse effects, since no products are currently registered by the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA),...
COVID-19 pandemic: Treatment and management options for SA practitioners
March 11th, 2020 South Africa, with 13 imported coronavirus cases, currently fits the World Health Organisation's Transmission Scenario Two. Dr Richard Kaplan, writing for MedicalBrief, outlines decision-making and management options for local medical...
Precedent-setting UK ruling extends legal duty of care to associated third parties
March 4th, 2020 A UK High Court has ruled that doctors treating individuals with serious ailments owe a legal duty of care not just to their patients but to third parties associated with the people they are treating, writes MedicalBrief. The decision may have...
Electrolyte supplements don't prevent illness and may cause harm — Ultramarathon study
March 4th, 2020 Electrolyte supplements are promoted as preventing nausea and cramping caused by low salt levels, but a Stanford study based on 266 ultramarathoners found that they do not prevent illness or improve performance, and if diluted with too much water...
US and Europe may act too slowly in introducing robust anti-COVID-19 measures
March 4th, 2020 The World Health Organisation has praised the "early and robust" control measures that appear to have curbed COVID-19 in China, writes MedicalBrief. But some experts fear it unlikely that the necessary suspension of public transport, closing of...
Commission's report implicates the State in forced sterilisation of HIV+ women
February 26th, 2020 A report by the Gender Equality Commission implicates the State in forced sterilisation of HIV positive women, writes MedicalBrief. The Health Professions Council has called on anyone with information to provide it so that doctors can be...
Africa holds its breath as coronavirus hits Europe and Middle East
February 26th, 2020 Despite only two diagnosed African cases of coronavirus so far, a Lancet study says South Africa, along with Algeria and Egypt, are at greatest risk on the continent, while...
CMS’ precedent setting ruling against Discovery's 'irrational decision-making'
February 19th, 2020 In "a scathing and precedent-setting ruling" against Discovery Health Medical Scheme, the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) may open the door to force schemes to pay for treatment not available in state hospitals, reports Business Day. A more...
COVID-19: SA 'would struggle' because of specialist shortage
February 19th, 2020 Despite only one person in Africa so far diagnosed with Covid-19, experts warn of the potential for imminent havoc on an under-prepared, under-resourced continent, writes MedicalBrief. In South Africa, specifically, the acute shortage of infectious...
Coronavirus: 'Promising new treatments must be explored immediately'
February 12th, 2020 The major effort in coping with the new coronavirus has been around isolation etc (short-term) and finding a vaccine (long-term), but international experts argue in The Lancet that there are other promising treatments that should be explored...
Western Cape Health gets its nose bloodied over 'stolen' broken armchairs
February 12th, 2020 A vindictive, protracted and costly campaign by Western Cape Health against three young doctors for “unlawfully removing two blue chairs with the intent to permanently deprive Tygerberg Hospital of its possessions” is at last over, writes...