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Motsoaledi appoints experts to review community service for doctors
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has set up a committee of experts to review the compulsory community service programme for young doctors, which has caused...
Paediatric surgeon Peter Beale acquitted of murder and fraud
Paediatric surgeon Peter Beale was acquitted on murder and fraud charges this week, bringing relief to him and the medical profession which saw the...
US Supreme Court unblocks Trump foreign funding freeze
Research and health projects stalled by the abrupt cutting off of US funding, may be in for a reprieve following the US Supreme Court...
Rising global obesity presents 'unparalleled' health threat – Lancet report
Overweight and obesity rates in adults more than doubled between 1990 and 2021, and, warn experts, this is unlikely to change, with more than...
Minister rejects LCBO report, but punts policy shift
The long-awaited low-cost benefit option (LCBO) report has finally been publicly released by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), but has been immediately rejected...
Confusion over NHI 'compromise' agreement
President Cyril Ramphosa, in his State of the Nation address last week, failed to provide any details of a supposed compromise agreement on the...
Global healthcare on shaky ground as Trump's moves take effect
Donald Trump's slew of executive orders in the past two weeks – including freezing foreign aid for 90 days and shutting down the US...
Top SA health experts rally to counter Trump’s funding block
LATEST As South Africa’s top HIV scientists worked urgently on rescue plans, including a possible alternative 'solidarity fund' with business support, to plug the...
New dementia drugs still won’t be accessible to the poorest
Experts say that treatment to prevent Alzheimer’s or lessen its effects are on the horizon as the fight against dementia enters a “new era”,...
South Africa shoulders high health burden of sugary drinks
A global analysis has placed South Africa among the countries worst hit by the health burden of high consumption of sugary drinks which, together...
Unspent R250m cancer treatment funds returned to Treasury
Gauteng Health has attempted to justify its failure to spend R250m that was allocated for cancer treatment saying the situation is “not as urgent”...
Medico-legal lawyer disbarred for stealing millions from disabled children
Disgraced attorney Zuko Nonxuba – under whose watch R188m in medical negligence payouts to severely disabled children disappeared – has been declared unfit to...
Funding lifeline frays for Gauteng’s dying
The ending of a private contract to fund patients who are dying and in need of palliative care at Johannesburg’s three main public hospitals...
Paediatrician had no motive to kill children, defence argues
Well-known paediatric surgeon Professor Peter Beale was in the dock again this week as the state and defence presented closing arguments in his murder...
SA facing diabetes ‘pandemic’ as cases soar among young people
A critical shortage of specialists to treat diabetics is contributing to the treatment challenges for patients in South Africa where the disease is now...
Fears as Trump’s anti-vax, anti-abortion, anti-trans team moves in
With Donald Trump back in the White House and vaccine sceptic and conspiracy theorist Robert F Kennedy Jr expected to take control of health...
Government plays for time on NHI court cases
Will government consider amendments to the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act? As government lawyers seek more time to respond to two lawsuits against the...
'Transitional' private healthcare reforms punted ahead of NHI
The Department of Health's long-awaited response to the Competition Commission's Health Market Inquiry (HMI) report includes a proposed uniform pricing structure for private healthcare...
Superbugs ‘could kill 39m people by 2050’ – worldwide analysis
In a chilling prediction, a new global analysis estimates that “superbugs” will kill more than 39m people before 2050, with older people particularly at...
Headache Clinic founder suspended after patient deaths
Headache specialist Dr Elliot Shevel (81), who has won international renown for his techniques in helping patients overcome head pains – and has also...
First NHI draft regulations set for release
As the first draft regulations for the National Health Insurance Act are soon to be released for public comment, stakeholders who say their previous...
Boundless benefits of weight-loss drugs under scrutiny
As the added health benefits of weight-loss drugs are paraded in more and more research papers, and pharmaceutical groups up the ante in the...
NHLS system still faltering as cyberattacks hit global healthcare
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), which had expected to restore its systems by 15 July after hackers forced it to revert to paper...
NHI tug-o'-war for GNU and new Minister
The National Health Insurance (NHI) poses one of the biggest challenges for the new Health Minister and the government of national unity (GNU), whose...
Cyber attacks create havoc in state hospitals in SA, and globally
South Africa is the latest country to fall victim to cyber criminals, who are causing chaos in global healthcare systems and hospitals, risking thousands...
SA’s insulin pens supply dries up as weight-loss drugs take priority
South Africa has run out of the human insulin pens for people with diabetes as the global pharmaceutical industry shifts production priorities to blockbuster...
Twice-yearly anti-HIV jab shows total protection – African study
Researchers and activists involved in the arduous fight against HIV received some nmexciting news this week when results from a large clinical trial in...
Don't delay mpox vaccine roll-out, experts urge health authorities
Health experts say government should start the roll-out of mpox vaccines to targeted groups without delay as a third man (40) died of mpox...
Olympic athletes embrace diabetes tech in quest for medals
The tiny continuous glucose monitors used by diabetics to track their blood glucose levels have become popular among athletes who hope to boost their...
Once a rural health flagship, now the 'hospital of death'
Following the passage of the National Health Insurance Act, the challenge is to bring public hospitals up to an acceptable standard, writes MedicalBrief. It will...
Tattoos may boost lymphatic cancer risk – Swedish study
Swedish scientists have called for urgent in-depth research after their recent study, the first of its kind, suggested that tattoo ink might increase the...
Who's in the running to be Health Minister in a coalition government?
With a coalition government now one of the options going forward after last week's elections, ministerial posts – including the top health job –...
World scientists unveil slew of new cancer treatments
An encouraging – and exciting – slew of results and progress in the quest to bolster the arsenal against cancer were presented at the...
Medical community at a crossroads on child gender-affirming care
The release of a major review of gender identity services for children has sparked debate about the best approach to providing care for young...
Government open to more talks and 'collaboration' on NHI
After taking many by surprise with the signing of the NHI Bill last week, President Cyril Ramaphosa and government Ministers adopted a more placatory...
NHI Bill signing sets stage for protracted battle in courts
A flood of legal suits is set to follow the signing of the NHI Bill yesterday, and are almost certain to hold up the...
Can Big Pharma justify hefty drug prices?
Big Pharma's hefty price tags for some medicines have again come under scrutiny, with a drug developed by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) costing a...
SA and J&J drawn into toxic cough mixture scandal
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...
Cancer diagnoses among younger people rising
Worldwide, cancer diagnoses are growing more common among people under 50, and it’s been estimated that by 2030, the number of these early-onset cancer...
Communities mourn murdered medics
The medical fraternity has been hit with more tragedy with the unrelated murders of two healthcare workers this week; a Hilton, KwaZulu-Natal paediatrician, Dr...