Tuesday, 19 March, 2024
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Proposed budget cuts disastrous for health sector, activists warn

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana ruffled feathers last week with his letter to government departments directing a freeze on posts and other cost-cutting measures. MedicalBrief...

NHI may not be best solution, Finance Minister says

With Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana expressing frank scepticism about the sustainability of the National Health Insurance (NHI), a new survey has shown that the...

GPs allege ‘corporate bullying’ after Medicross contract switch

Medicross has denied accusations of “corporate bullying”, after about 50 private GPs – who ended their practice administration contracts with Medicross to join a...

SA 'bullied, held to ransom' and paid double for Covid vaccines

To procure Covid-19 vaccines for South Africans, government was bullied and forced to pay exorbitant amounts – in some cases double the price –...

Mediclinic's alleged irregular billing sparks forensic probes

A whistle-blower’s allegations – that six Mediclinic hospitals are guilty of irregular billing practices – have opened a can of worms, with forensic investigations...

Scientists keep close eye on highly mutated coronavirus variant

Virologists and health officials worldwide are keeping an eye on a highly mutated form of the coronavirus that may be the most adept yet...

HPCSA persists in enforcing regulations declared ‘unlawful’

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) continues to punish doctors with hefty fines for contravening regulations which were found to be unlawful...

Osteoarthritis to affect 1bn people by 2050, predicts global study

Researchers have estimated that by 2050, osteoarthritis – which affects 15% of the global population over 30 – will have affected nearly 1bn people,...

Call for overhaul of junior doctors' training

The existing cumbersome and sometimes inefficient system of training, internships and community service needs to be revamped, streamlined and improved, a group of local...

Dickason guilty of murders as jury rejects post-partum depression defence

South African doctor Lauren Dickason was yesterday found guilty of murdering her three children in New Zealand in a trial that made headlines around...

BHF back in court over 'irrational' blocking of low-cost medical options

The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) says the Health Minister should face possible jail time for defying a July court order to produce documents...

Experts call for comprehensive, large-scale response to slash Africa's cancer burden

Cancer mortality rates in sub-Saharan Africa – one of the top three causes of premature deaths in most countries in the region – are...

'Colossal impact' fears as US anti-abortion lobby threatens to kill Pepfar

A decades-old US-funded global Aids programme that supports South Africa’s health sector, as well as that of 38 other African countries with billions of...

Violent attacks prompt special training for Gauteng healthcare staff

Violence against staff – doctors, nurses, paramedics – and patients, has become an occupational hazard at government hospitals and clinics in South Africa. After...

Race factor skews new Alzheimer's drugs trial

Two much-hyped new treatments for Alzheimer’s that work by removing a toxic protein called beta amyloid from the brain may benefit whites more than...

Doctors' petition urges NCOP to reject NHI Bill

Doctors have lodged a last-ditch effort to stop the passing of the National Health Insurance Bill, which has been given the green light by...

Low-cost schemes will soften NHI tax burden, argue medical schemes

Medical schemes, feeling the pinch with decreasing membership and bracing for radical upheaval when the National Health Insurance (NHI) kicks in, argue that the...

Doctor who killed children diagnosed with post-partum depression, court hears

Post-partum depression was under the spotlight this week when High Court proceedings in New Zealand began unravelling the circumstances leading to the tragic deaths...

Court slaps CMS with deadline to explain low-cost schemes hold-up

The Council for Medical Schemes, which has been accused of blocking the introduction of low-cost medical aids in an effort to make the NHI...

Germany eyes SA-trained nurses – with government's blessing

Government is in talks with Germany to employ SA-trained nurses to fill vacancies in Europe’s largest economy, while, at home, the shortage of nurses,...

SA in multi-million dollar trial for new TB vaccine

South Africa is among the countries which will take part in a $550m phase three clinical trial of M72, a new candidate vaccine against...

Aspartame to join WHO's cancer risk list, but industry calls for evidence

After 40 years of widespread global use, aspartame is to be declared as a possible carcinogen by the WHO but some experts disagree with...

Medical schemes deny ‘racist’ algorithm claim

Medical schemes this week came out fighting against allegations of racial discrimination, rejecting concerns by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) about possible bias...

Low-income context should be key consideration in CP litigation – SA review

Over the past half century, one medical malpractice claim – birth-related cerebral palsy (CP) – has had a major impact on obstetric care, resulting...

Back to square one in dispute over certificates of need for doctors

Health Minister Joe Phaahla has been granted a reprieve in the standoff over a section in the National Health Act which calls for doctors...

Unacceptable that people are still dying from AIDS, conference hears

Despite major strides to curb HIV infection, and boasting the world's largest ARV treatment programme, people are still dying from AIDS in South Africa...

Parliament passes NHI Bill but long road to implementation

The National Health Insurance Bill (NHI) has been passed by the National Assembly, taking it one step closer to becoming legislation although the road...

Significant drop in breast cancer death risk – Oxford study

The proportion of women who survive breast cancer has improved dramatically since the 1990s, say researchers, who found, in the largest study of its...

New antibiotics vital to stem newborn deaths

Experts have urged the development of new antibiotics after a landmark global observational study found that more than 200 000 neonates (within 60 days...

How independent is SA's new Health Ombudsman?

South Africa’s new Health Ombud took on his role this month as some health activists questioned his political allegiances with the ANC, his numerous...

'Dysfunctional and an embarrassment' – outgoing Ombudsman on health departments

In a blistering reflection of the public health sector after seven years in the job, outgoing Health Ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba labelled the system...

Litigation threats as NHI Bill passed by parliamentary committee

Threats of legal action have predictably followed the adoption of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill - with only slight amendments - by parliamentary...

Special interventions to tackle state surgeries backlogs

With state hospitals across the country buckling under a mounting backlog of surgeries, special interventions are being made to tackle the problem which has...

Unsafe national water supply sparks fears of larger cholera spread

As the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) warns that more cholera cases are likely, Amnesty International has condemned the outbreak that has killed...

Private sector frustration as nursing staff flock to greener pastures

As countries across Africa count the cost of an exodus of talent from its fragile healthcare sectors to richer countries, the situation in South...

Special medicines fund proposal as medical aids under pressure

Against the backdrop of a stagnant medical-scheme growth environment, escalating costs of care and government dragging its feet on low cost medical aid options,...

Nursing shortage could spike to 300 000, new report finds

South Africa's nursing shortage could escalate to more than 300 000 within the next decade, a new report says, although thousands of unemployed nurses...

Ramaphosa promises 'health revolution' as summit sets 10 key targets

As delegates met for the second Presidential Health Summit last week, longstanding, unresolved challenges were back on the agenda, but adding to the woes...

No funding model yet, but NHI gets big chunk of health budget

There is still no sign of a cost model for the National Health Insurance (NHI), but a large proportion of this year's much-reduced health...

Sickness claims hint at long-term impact of Covid

The large number of sickness claims related to Covid-19 in the past financial year indicates that the long-term effects of the coronavirus, in the...