Weekly Roundup
Reinstated KZN doctor remains in limbo
Ten months after he was fired from his job, Ngwelezana Hospital’s head of surgery returned to work on Monday of last week, but there was no place for him. Instead, says a Sunday Tribune report, Dr Maheshwar Naidoo’s position had already been...Merck's kidney cancer therapy approved ahead of expectations
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Merck & Co Inc’s cancer therapy, Keytruda, as part of a combination therapy for previously untreated patients with the most common type of kidney cancer. Reuters Health reports that the drug was...FDA approves AbbVie's plaque psoriasis drug
AbbVie Inc has announced that the US Food and Drug Administration approved its Skyrizi drug as a treatment for plaque psoriasis at a time when its blockbuster psoriasis drug, Humira, faces patent pressures, reports Reuters Health. Plaque psoriasis...Two Ghanaian health tech start-ups win top international awards
Ghana’s long unsung health tech sector is getting global validation with two of its most promising start-ups being named among five winners for one of the most prestigious social enterprise awards in the world. Quartz Africa reports that...Gauteng community healthcare workers strike over permanent jobs
About 500 community healthcare workers who are contractual employees of Gauteng Health blocked Johannesburg city streets last week, demanding that the health MEC come to address them and accept a memorandum of their demands. Sibusiso Nkasa,...Nurse faces criminal charges after performing 'back-yard abortion'
The Far East Rand Hospital in Springs, Gauteng, has laid criminal charges against a nurse who performed an illegal abortion while off duty, reports News24. The termination of the pregnancy at a home led to complications that resulted in the patient...Eastern Cape Health probes video showing drunk employee at work
The Eastern Cape Health Department is investigating a video clip purportedly showing an intoxicated man attempting to serve patients seeking medical treatment at Livingstone Hospital in Port Elizabeth. The Times reports that the footage, captured...Mobile health application launched in SADC region
SAfAids, a regional information dissemination organisation focusing on sexual and reproductive health, has launched a mobile health application to stimulate health seeking behaviour and social accountability among youths. The Chronicle reports that...Discovery cancer patient numbers nearly doubled since 2010
The number of Discovery Health Medical Scheme members receiving treatment for cancer has increased by 99% since 2010, even though the scheme’s membership numbers have only increased by 24% over that time, the group is quoted in Business Day as...Inquest into Richards Bay doctor's gunshot death
A well-known Richards Bay doctor has died after he accidentally shot himself in the face at his home. According to a Post report, Dr Dayanandah Appal Naidu, 68, a specialist surgeon at the Bay Hospital, sustained a gunshot wound just under his lip...J&J's advanced bladder cancer drug wins FDA approval
Johnson & Johnson’s drug Balversa has won US approval as the first targeted therapy for advanced bladder cancer, the Food and Drug Administration is quoted in a Reuters Health report as saying. The list price of the drug, known chemically...US regulators approve new two-drug combination pill for HIV
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Dovato, a new single-tablet antiretroviral regimen containing the HIV integrase inhibitor dolutegravir (sold separately as Tivicay) and the nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor...Alleged corruption at HPCSA a symptom of incompetence — Solidarity
The Solidarity Occupational Guild for Health Practitioners has strongly condemned the alleged corruption in the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPSCA), which could lead to unqualified doctors and nurses unlawfully getting accreditation....Cipla Medpro buys stake in Brandmed
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Cipla Medpro, a wholly owned subsidiary of Indian generic giant Cipla, has acquired a 30% stake in local digital health company Brandmed for R65m, reports Business Day. The deal offers Cipla Medpro, which is South...Papua New Guinea faces 'dangerous penis enlargement problem'
Doctors in Papua New Guinea have warned of a “nationwide problem” of men injecting foreign substances, including coconut oil and silicone, into their penises in an attempt to make them bigger. According to a report in The Guardian, a doctor at...