Weekly Roundup
FDA notifies companies to remove hookah products from the market
The US Food and Drug Administration has told four companies to remove 44 of their flavoured e-liquid and hookah tobacco products that do not have the required approval for sale in the US, the agency is quoted in Reuters Health as saying. The move...Northern Cape Health splurges R11m on 25 TVs that stand unused
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union report that Northern Cape Health bought 25 flat-screen televisions at a cost of R11m (R300,000 each), with some of the televisions were being stored at the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital...SA weighs shorter treatment for patients on Roche cancer drug
The Health Department is considering shortening breast cancer treatment for patients eligible for Roche’s costly trastuzumab, in the wake of a large study that found halving the duration of therapy to six months was just as effective as a year,...Ministers reassure SA Cabinet that Ebola risk is low
International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor and Health Minister Zweli Mkhize both briefed the Cabinet last week about the outbreak, as well as the deaths caused by Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and high risks posed to...Disappointment as NHS Scotland rejects use of cystic fibrosis drug
People with cystic fibrosis in Scotland will continue to be denied potentially life-extending drugs after they were rejected for use by the National Health Service (NHS), prompting an outpouring of dismay and anger. According to a Scotsman report,...UK introduces wearable tech to monitor those at risk of diabetes
Thousands of people in England at risk of contracting type 2 diabetes will receive wearable tech to help monitor their exercise level, The Guardian reports the National Health Service (NHS) has announced. Up to 8,000 people could benefit from the...Community nurses to be absorbed into Gauteng Health
Nurses who were appointed in 2017, who had to carry out compulsory community service before they were allowed to practice independently, should be paid outstanding salaries and be absorbed into the Gauteng Health, News24 reports the department has...Gauteng Health's budget increased to R50.8bn
Gauteng Health has been allocated R50.8bn for the 2019/2020 financial year, this being one of the largest allocations in the provincial government. However, says a Sunday Independent report, while this is a significant investment to the improvement...Regulator rejects Momentum/BP scheme merger
The medical schemes regulator has rejected a proposed merger between South Africa’s third biggest medical scheme, Momentum Health, and a small scheme restricted to the South African employees of the British oil and gas company BP. According to...Eastern Cape facility for mentally ill 'like something out of a horror movie'
Housing the mentally ill in a condemned building with little security sounds like something out of a horror movie. But, says a Spotlight report, for the patients and staff of the Cecilia Makiwane Hospital (CMH) Mental Health Unit this is not a...Uganda starts preventative Ebola vaccine trial
Uganda has started its largest-ever trial of a preventative Ebola vaccine, an official said, amid fears of a potential spill-over of the deadly haemorrhagic fever from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo. Reuters Africa reports that the East...Imminent arrival of dolutegravir stocks in the Western Cape
Western Cape Health is expecting to receive stock of a new antiretroviral (ARV) treatment called dolutegravir (DTG) by September, a drug that can be used in conjunction with other ARVs as a first and second-line treatment. A Cape Argus report says...Discovery stats show 70% of SA women are obese
Globally 2.1bn people are overweight or obese, or just over 30% of the world’s population – however, says a Business Tech report, new statistics published by Discovery Vitality show the situation is much worse in South Africa. “The big...Loan applicant posing as 'orthodontist' faces R25m fraud charge
The case of a 60-year-old man who allegedly presented himself as an orthodontist to apply for a loan has been moved to the Cape Town Regional Court. According to a Cape Argus report, Gerrit Erasmus Burger, alias Dr Johannes Hattingh, briefly...Nehawu demands that Limpopo Health MEC is fired
Health workers in Limpopo are gearing up for a day of labour action where they will down tools and march to government offices on today (Wednesday) to raise a number of grievances. According to an IoL report, the National Education, Health and...