Weekly Roundup
R5bn wasted on failed NHI pilots could have improved health system — DA
Siviwe Gwarube MP – DA Shadow Minister of Health said in a statement. The Democratic Alliance (DA) can reveal the exact breakdown of the R5.1bn that has been spent since 2012/13 on the 10 failed National Health Insurance (NHI) pilot projects....UN report on the abuses against women in reproductive healthcare
The UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women has released a report regarding mistreatment and violence against women in reproductive health services with a focus on childbirth and obstetric violence, says a Jurist report. Like the #MeToo...Busa and Health Department have 'constructive' meeting on NHI
Business Unity SA (Busa), which represents private companies and professional bodies, has had a “cordial and constructive” first meeting with the health department to discuss its plans for universal health coverage, it is quoted in Business Day...Most of Cape metropole a red zone for violent crime against EMS crews
90% percent of the Cape metropole is a red zone for violent crime. The Weekend Argus reports that so says veteran medic JA van Zyl, manager of the southern district division of Western Cape EMS. The bloodshed is so intense in areas such as...Nehawu to picket against high private healthcare costs
The National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) has declared a picket outside the Netcare head offices in Johannesburg, against increasing costs in the private healthcare industry, on Friday, 18 October, which will serve as part...CMS investigations into alleged racism and corruption to cost R14.6m
Investigations at the Council for Medical Schemes into alleged racism of schemes and corruption within its own ranks, will cost the regulator approximately a tenth of its entire annual income from schemes. Netwerk24 reports that the CMS is planning...FDA approves Eli Lilly's migraine drug
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that it had approved Eli Lilly and Co’s migraine drug, Reyvow. Reuters Health report that the drug has been approved to treat acute migraine with or without aura, a sensory phenomenon or...Illegal foreign 'dentists' arrested in Gauteng
Three unqualified people who were running an illegal dental practice in Springs, Ekurhuleni, were among those arrested at the weekend, The Times reports Gauteng police said. The bogus dental practitioners are reported to be foreign nationals, said...Africa's first Mako robotic knee replacement operation
A total knee replacement operation has been carried out using the state-of-the-art Mako robotic arm assisted surgery system for the first time in Africa at Netcare Linksfield Hospital in Johannesburg. “There is no national register for local...New Jubilee District Hospital facility and residence for Cuban-trained students
A medical student training facility has been opened at Jubilee District Hospital, in Hammanskraal. The newly renovated residence solves numerous challenges faced in the health care sector in northern Gauteng. The residence facility, built for...Rural Britain struggles to recruit senior medical staff
Hospitals in rural and coastal Britain are struggling to recruit senior medical staff, leaving many worryingly “under-doctored”, The Guardian reports a major new report reveals. Some hospitals in those areas appointed no consultants last year,...Global Fund raises $14bn for next three years
Bono, Bill Gates, and heads of state convened in eastern France for the Sixth Replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which slightly exceeded its aim of raising $14bn from donors for the next three years. According...UK hospital books hotel rooms for patients, in case of Brexit chaos
Maidstone Hospital is taking the step to ensure patients can still be treated in the event of Brexit causing severe traffic congestion in Kent. The hospital is close to the M20, one of the key routes to the Channel ports, which is likely to become...Big Three schemes dominance is bad news for medical consumers
Because of their market dominance, there was little incentive on the part of the Big Three medical schemes to drop prices, the health market inquiry found. Discovery Health, which administers 18 medical aid schemes, makes profit that is...Parliament extends NHI Bill's period for public comment
The government’s proposed deadline for establishing the National Health Insurance (NHI) fund is too short, the Finance and Fiscal Commission (FCC) has warned Parliament, Business Day report. The fund is a central pillar of the government’s...