Weekly Roundup
Lack of staff means OHSC dealt with only half of patient complaints
The statutory body charged with assessing the quality of hospitals and clinics is so short-staffed it cannot cope with the volume of complaints it is receiving from patients, Business Day reports its CEO told Parliament. The Office of Health...Stocks of ARVs running low countrywide, says Stop Stockouts Project
Stocks of second- and third-line antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) and contraceptives are rapidly running out across the country, and some provinces have already run out, a crisis that has been developing over the past two months. Health24 reports that...Clicks withdraws its pregnancy test after tap water tests positive
More than two dozen women have reported that they have been misled by false-positive pregnancy tests that poisoned relationships, caused emotional devastation – and led to what one thinks was unnecessary surgery. According to a Business Insider...Support app helps new SA nurses become more skilled and confident
What happens when you take a bunch of newly-graduated student nurses and get them together in a WhatsApp support group? Well, an IoL report says that, according to research by Professors Felicity Daniels and Jennifer Chipps, they become better and...UK to fortify flour with folic acid to prevent birth defects
All flour in the UK is to be fortified with folic acid after ministers swung behind a plan that medical experts say will reduce the number of babies born with serious birth defects. The Guardian reports that the policy, which will be introduced...Chinese defective vaccine campaigner goes missing
There are fears for the safety of a woman campaigning about China’s defective vaccines, with activists saying she has been missing for more than 40 days, reports The Guardian. Authorities have been clamping down on families demanding redress over...NICD confirms cholera in traveller returning from Zimbabwe
The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has confirmed the diagnosis of cholera in a returning traveller from Zimbabwe. The patient commenced with diarrhoea on 29th September and was admitted to a Tshwane hospital on 1 October with...Attack on Red Cross workers treating DRC's Ebola victims
The international community has sounded the alarm over a “heightened sense of fear and distrust” after three Red Cross workers fighting to contain Ebola were attacked and seriously wounded in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reports The...Japanese mosquito-repellent paint to help fight malaria in Zambia
A Japanese paint producer has launched the world's first mosquito-repellent paint in Zambia to help it reach a target to eliminate malaria by 2021, the company and a Japanese government official are quoted in The Times as saying. Malaria, spread...Frere Hospital's turnaround recognised with international accolade
Frere Hospital in East London will be among six hospitals in the world to receive a prestigious international accolade at the 42nd World Hospital Congress in Brisbane, Australia. According to a Daily Dispatch report, the International Hospital...Nearly 400 tonnes of counterfeit medicines seized by Ivory Coast
Nearly 400 tonnes of fake medicines have been seized over two years in Ivory Coast, whose main city Abidjan is a West African haven for counterfeit drugs, The Times reports the health ministry said. Counterfeit medicine is the scourge of Africa...Tips on whistleblowing for healthcare workers
In broken healthcare systems, whistleblowing becomes an integral part of reporting on failures to deliver to the needs of the sick and vulnerable. Health-e News reports that Marije Versteeg-Mojanaga, the head of the Rural Health Advocacy Project...26,000 NHS diabetic medication errors due to lack of specialist staff
Diabetic patients in National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in the UK are being put at risk of serious harm or death as a lack of specialist staff contributed to 260,000 medication errors last year, charities have warned. The Independent reports...Gilead reduces price of amphotericin B for cryptococcal meningitis
Gilead Sciences have expanded their access initiative for AmBisome (a liposomal preparation of amphotericin B) to include cryptococcal meningitis, where previously it was only for leishmaniasis. Governments and public sector procurers in 116 low-...HSF submits comments on the NHI and Medical Schemes Amendment Bills
Charles Simkins, head of research at the Helen Suzman Foundation writes in a brief that has accompanied the foundation’s submission to the National Health Department on its draft Medical Schemes Amendment Bill and the National Health Insurance...