South Africa
Possible shortening of doctors' internships to one year
Shortening doctors’ internships from two years to one is being mooted to alleviate the strain in the training of doctors. Health Department spokesperson Popo Maja is quoted in The Times as saying: "What we know is that one of the health...Mediclinic fights to expand in North West province
South Africa’s biggest private hospital group by value, Mediclinic International, has presented its final argument to the Competition Tribunal as it fights to expand in North West. Business Day reports that the Competition Commission blocked...ANC reiterates at manifesto launch its commitment to the NHI
The ANC has reiterated its commitment to accelerate the implementation of the long-delayed National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill through the finalisation of legislation and creation of a publicly funded National Health Insurance Fund. Eyewitness News...Inquiry into SA's private healthcare sector cost R197m
The total cost of South Africa’s Competition Commission inquiry into the private healthcare sector amounted to R197m, The Times reports Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel has disclosed. The commission was established in 2013 to...SA teens hide their pregnancies and pay with death
Almost half of maternal deaths in SA come from the 8%-10% of mothers who are teenagers, because these young people "generally delay coming to our clinics", says KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo. Dhlomo is calling for a dialogue...Netcare questions Discovery's role in health market inquiry
Private hospital group Netcare has raised questions about the independence of the Competition Commission’s health market inquiry, suggesting it may have been influenced by South Africa’s biggest medical scheme administrator, Discovery Health,...SA medical regulator warns of ‘disabling’ effect of 2 antibiotics
South Africa’s medicines regulator has warned patients of disabling and potentially permanent side effects associated with quinolone and fluroquinolone antibiotics, and urged people taking these medicines to consult their doctors on whether to...Government green light to fill 5,300 health sector posts
The government is set to hire more than 5,000 health workers, including doctors and nurses, to ease the crisis in public healthcare facilities across the country. The Mercury reports that this has been confirmed by Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi....Pandor says degree fraud investigations are ‘iron-clad’
Higher Education and Training Minister Naledi Pandor, reacting to allegations of degree fraud at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the University of Zululand writes on the Politicsweb that the investigations underway are ‘iron-clad and cannot be...Necsa signed Russian nuclear medicine deal ‘to avoid embarrassment’
The axed chair of the Nuclear Energy Corporation of SA (Necsa) has admitted to signing a Russian nuclear medicine deal against the orders of Energy Minister Jeff Radebe but says he did so to avoid “political embarrassment”. Business Day reports...Delays and disquiet over Ramaphosa’s quick-fix blueprint
The release of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s blueprint for fixing SA’s health system in the next two weeks has been delayed among growing disquiet that the government wants to create the impression that the high-level health summit participants at...MSF survey shows scant counselling services for SA's child rape survivors
A survey of 135 health facilities designated to care for survivors of sexual violence in South Africa found that nearly half do not offer counselling services to child survivors of rape, and one in five offer no counselling services at all. Groundup...Rush to put 'secret' NHI Bill before Cabinet after DG is sidelined
The fiercely contested National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill will be rushed before the cabinet next week, despite the fact that Health director-general Precious Matsoso says she was completely sidelined from the revision of the Bill. The Bill is...SA's nuclear medicine producer opens after year-long closure
One of South Africa's few profitable state-owned enterprises (SOE), nuclear medicine producer NTP Radioisotopes, has been reopened after a year-long shutdown that nearly brought the previously unblemished company to its knees. Business Day reports...2 years after Esidimeni, SANC and HPCSA yet to act
Two years after the Life Esidimeni tragedy not a single professional body has taken steps against professionals involved in the project, a Beeld report notes. Health Ombudsman Malegapuru Makgoba recommended on 1 February last year that professional...