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Friday, 19 April, 2024

FOCUS: MEDICO-LEGAL

Dentist pleads not guilty to patient’s murder in ‘detox’ clinic

Peta Lee - 0
The trial of a Durban dentist, charged with murder after a patient died in his detox centre seven years ago, started in the High Court this week, notes MedicalBrief. Dentist Anwar Mohamed Jeewa pleaded not guilty this week to a murder charge after a patient died in his Westville detox centre in 2017, when he was given controversial ibogaine treatment in the hopes of curing his drug addiction. Ibogaine is a naturally occurring substance found in certain plants and has been...
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FOCUS: PHARMACEUTICAL

SA and J&J drawn into toxic cough mixture scandal

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
South Africa and J&J has become entangled in one of the world's worst wave of poisoning from oral medication with the recall of a locally manufactured Johnson & Johnson (J&J) cough syrup for children, writes MedicalBrief. Days after J&J attempted to distance itself from another high-profile scandal linked to its products, the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) issued a recall of two batches of Benylin Paediatric cough syrup due to contamination of a toxic compound better known in...
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NEWS UPDATE

Top job for disgraced former hospital CEO

Former Rahima Moosa Mother and Child Hospital CEO Dr Nozuko Mkabayi, slammed by former Health Ombudsman Professor Malegapuru Makgoba for her appalling performance during her reign, has landed a top job in the Gauteng Health Department. Mkabayi has been appointed acting director responsible for HIV and Aids/STI/TB (HAST) – earning the...

Probe into Bara’s AWOL high-flying plastic surgeon

Gauteng Health has launched an investigation into plastic surgeon Dr Brian Monaisa, who has been accused by his peers of skipping work for months on end at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital while running a private practice and globetrotting. A complaint has also been laid with the Public Protector, who has...

No link between suicide and weight loss drugs – EMA

Evidence does not support a causal association between the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1) – dulaglutide, exenatide, liraglutide, lixisenatide and semaglutide – and suicidal and self-injurious thoughts and actions, the European Medicines Agency reports. This was the conclusion following a meeting last week of the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC). GLP-1...

Non-payment closes theatres in Gauteng hospital

A frustrated supplier, fed-up with delayed payment from Leratong Hospital in Mogale City, Johannesburg, for replacement of an air conditioning system, has “soft-locked” a code in the unit so that eight theatres have had to be shut down, being too hot in which to operate. Since then, more than 500...

Failing SA mortuaries ‘smell like 10 dead cows'

Inadequate infrastructure and maintenance at government mortuaries, many of which have failed to meet inspection standards, highlight the grim conditions under which staff conduct autopsies and South Africans have to identify bodies. In reply to questions by the DA in Parliament, Health Minister Joe Phaahla admitted that only 62 of...

Millions spent paying Cuban doctors ‘justified’ – medical association

The R14m spent on salaries for 11 Cuban doctors in Gauteng is not unreasonable, according to Kgosietsile Letlape, president of the Africa Medical Association, and former chair of the South African Medical Association, who said an objection to the expenditure was unjustified. “We know there have been Cubans who are...

KZN Health MEC sued for defamation

A defamation suit has been launched by Zululand mayor and traditional Zulu Prime Minister Thulasizwe Buthelezi against KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane, who allegedly accused him of soliciting sexual favours from married women. Simelande was previously served with a letter demanding a retraction of the comments she had made...

RAF’s non-payment to health facility risks lives – DA

The Road Accident Fund’s failure to make payment to Hospicare is exacerbating the trauma of traffic accidents victims, because the entity now faces eviction for unpaid bills of R21m, according to lawyers representing the building’s owner President Cyril Ramaphosa. In a statement in Politics Web, the DA’s shadow minister of...

Under-fire EMS staff plead for support, safer conditions

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers in Nelson Mandela Bay protested outside the city hall last week, calling for safer working conditions after numerous robberies and attacks, and pleading for community support when performing their duties. “I kneel down and pray to God each time I leave home for work, asking...

WHO warning on deadly viral hepatitis

At least 3 500 lives are lost daily due to viral hepatitis infections, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2024 Global Hepatitis Report, with diagnosis as well as funding for drugs in some regions still being a struggle, hampering treatment. The disease is the second leading infectious cause of death...

Nestlé adds sugar to products sold in SA and poorer countries

Nestlé is under fire for ignoring international guidelines aimed at preventing obesity and chronic diseases after campaigners found it has been adding sugar and honey to infant milk and cereal products sold in poorer countries, including South Africa. Public Eye, a Swiss investigative organisation, sent samples of the Swiss multinational’s baby-food...

Britain takes first step with vote to ban smoking

Britain is on course to ban smoking for an entire generation after a historic vote in the House of Commons this week, which is likely to see the UK slowly become a smoke-free country in the future. The controversial legislation, which if passed will mean that anyone aged 15 or younger today (or born after...

Hundreds of websites flog fake weight-loss and other drugs

An Israeli cybersecurity firm has taken down more than 250 websites selling fake versions of popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs in the GLP-1 class, representing more than 15% of the 1 655 websites BrandShield reported in 2023 for peddling counterfeit hormone-related drugs, central nervous system medicines and cancer treatments,...

SA scientists monitor invasive mosquito

The rapid expansion in Africa of the invasive Anopheles stephensi mosquito, which can breed practically anywhere and is not fussy about water, is being closely monitored by SA scientists, who say it has the potential to increase malaria transmission in areas currently free of the disease. A senior scientist from...

Life Healthcare shakes up top echelons

Life Healthcare has made changes to its leadership structure after the disposal of the Alliance Medical Group (AMG), with the executive committees of Life Healthcare and AMG being combined and reconstituted. The reconstituted executive committee will continue to be led by Peter Wharton-Hood as the CEO, however, reports BusinessLIVE. Pieter van der...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Doctor’s HPCSA hearing over Covid vaccine comments begins

A disciplinary hearing against doctor Shankara Chetty began in Durban last week after Wits University Professor Francois Venter lodged a complaint against him with the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) relating to his comments about vaccines during the pandemic. Venter, who was at the forefront of Covid research in...

Corruption accused in Digital Vibes case to hear fate in May

The magistrate presiding over the corruption trial of former Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (Misa) employee Lizeka Tonjeni, accused of accepting a R160 000 bribe from controversial communications company Digital Vibes, has postponed the case to next month, saying she needed more time. Tonjenini, who has pleaded not guilty, appeared in...

British celebrity doctor in Botox for sex hearing

A well-known TV cosmetic doctor gave free Botox to a patient in return for sex, a UK medical tribunal found, after Dr Tijion Esho, who has featured on ITV’s This Morning, BBC’s Morning Live and E4’s Body Fixers, admitted an improper relationship but denied it was physical. Esho said he...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

CARDIOLOGY

No benefits from 'outdated' beta-blockers after heart attack

Swedish researchers have described as outdated the standard practice of prescribing beta-blockers after a heart attack to lessen the risk of a future cardiovascular attack or death, saying there is no significant benefit to this. In the REDUCE-AMI trial, the scientists randomly assigned participants to receive a beta-blocker after diagnosis of...

DIET

Does what you eat affect your brain health?

Researchers, who have long been interested in finding out what diets optimise brain function, which is affected by dietary patterns and food choices, have concluded that people following a balanced diet may have better mental health and cognitive functioning. The latest study, published in Nature Mental Health and led by the University...

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Ovarian cycle regulated by circadian rhythm – French-US study

A team of reproductive researchers affiliated with several institutions in France and the US has found that the timing of monthly ovarian cycles is probably attributable to the circadian rhythm, after studying thousands of ovarian cycles reported by women across Europe and America. Their paper was published in the journal Science Advances. The...

NEUROLOGY

Post-birth esketamine slashes depression by three quarters – Chinese study

Scientists recently found that a single dose of 0.2 mg/kg of esketamine soon after childbirth reduced major depressive events among women with prenatal depressive symptoms by almost three-quarters at 42 days’ postpartum, but say more studies are needed to see if the benefits last longer. Perinatal depression is common, particularly...

SURGERY

Patients’ skin bacteria tied to post-surgery infections – US study

Surgical infections might be caused by bacteria that already live on your skin, rather than via external contamination, suggests a study of more than 200 people who underwent spinal procedures. Hospitals usually have strict hygiene standards to prevent such problems, but the research found 3% of people who have an operation...

ABOUT US

MedicalBrief is Africa’s authoritative weekly digest of medical matters, both on the continent and around the world. It brings you a succinct summary of the latest developments, both in news and research, with links to the original material. Contact us: info@medicalbrief.co.za

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