South Africa
Sudden deficit means NHLS may no longer be a 'going concern'
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) received a qualified audit for 2016-17 after its auditors, SizweNtsalubaGobodo, highlighted irregular expenditure of more than R1bn and cast doubt on its ability to continue as a going concern because it...12-years prison for robbing EMS worker of cellphone
Western Cape community safety MEC Dan Plato has welcomed a 'hefty' prison sentence handed down to a man involved in robbing an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) worker, after evidence was given in aggravation of sentence, reports The Times. Siphelo...NHLS irregular expenditure increases by almost R1bn in a year
According to the National Health Laboratory Service's (NHLS) Annual Report, irregular expenditure increased by R990m in just one year, says Democratic Alliance shadow minister of health Patricia Kopane. Even more shocking, Kopane says, is the fact...Psychiatrist battles MCC over a missing rubber stamp
The failure of the SA Medicines Control Council to put an official stamp on a licence it has already approved, has prevented a Gauteng psychiatrist from obtaining from the Netherlands the medication she urgently needs for her severely disturbed...Hawks investigate faked Pretoria Forensic Lab results
A forensic analyst at the Pretoria Forensic Laboratory may have been reporting fictitious drug and toxin results for years, potentially putting hundreds of criminal and insurance claims at risk. News24 reports that a number of documents has been...As measles spreads, Motsoaledi slams religious anti-vaxxers
South Africa’s health minister has slammed parents who won't vaccinate their children‚ especially in communities that reject the measles vaccine because it contains gelatine made from pork, the only measles vaccine in the country. The Times...Landmark UNAIDS pricing deal to accelerate HIV treatment
Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Minister of Health, says a landmark pricing deal announced by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), will accelerate the availability of the first affordable, generic, single-pill HIV treatment. Health-e...Motsoaledi bemoans lack of control over provincial health departments
South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says he has "zero authority" to improve the functioning of troubled state hospitals, which are all managed by provincial governments, reports News24. Motsoaledi has told the portfolio committee on...Controversy over Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital funding
It took R1bn in donations to build the Nelson Mandela Children’s Hospital in Johannesburg, but nine months after its launch party, the world-class facility is not fully open yet and lacks funding to cover operational costs. Management says,...Concerns over new SANAC chief's controversial past
Activists have expressed concern over the appointment of Dr Sandile Buthelezi as the new CEO of the SA National AIDS Council, given his involvement in the rollout of an unsafe circumcision device and a history of AIDS denialism. Dr Sandile...Row over Oxford TB vaccine trial on SA babies
Oxford University is embroiled in an ethics row after scientists were accused of questionable conduct over a controversial trial of a new vaccine on South African babies. The Daily Telegraph reports that Professor Peter Beverley, a former senior...Cosatu opposition to private healthcare 'will scupper NHI'
Cosatu’s opposition to the private sector having a role in the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) could fundamentally scupper the achievement of universal healthcare coverage in SA. says the Board of Healthcare Funders. Dr...Support for sugar tax grows, as govt delays to 2018
Three out of four South African adults are supportive of government’s efforts to enforce policies that will discourage people from consuming sugary drinks and junk food. Health-e News reports that this is the outcome of a survey conducted...Ditching medical aid tax credits will burden state health system
Government’s plan to ditch medical aid tax credits is expected to force nearly 2m people into the already overcrowded state health system. If the tax credit is removed‚ 20% of medical aid users will no longer be able to afford it‚ The Times...Following uproar, Aids denialist declines nomination to SANAC
Controversial talk show host Criselda Kananda-Dudumashe will not serve on the board of the South African National Aids Council (SANAC), after she declined her nomination, reports Health-e News. The nomination process is not public so it is...