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NHI Bill continues to spark furious debate
The battle lines are drawn between the naysayers and supporters of National Health Insurance after the Bill was introduced to Parliament over a week...
Uncertainty over many aspects of NHI but govt 'ready' for corruption
Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says the authorities are ready to tackle the threat of large-scale corruption to the National Health Insurance scheme, writes...
Emotional Support Animals pose legal, ethical and professional challenges
The booming popularity of an increasingly exotic array of emotional support animals (ESAs) has created legal, ethical and professional challenges for the therapists who...
CMS inquiry told medical schemes 'a law unto themselves'
Health Department deputy director-general Dr Anban Pillay told the Council for Medical Aid Schemes inquiry into allegations of racial profiling that there were “serious...
Use of generics rises to a new high in SA's private sector
The use of cheaper generic alternatives rose to an all-time high of 62% in the private sector in 2018, while the top five chronic...
Clinical trial reveals potential for treating larger strokes with thrombectomy
Building on research results showing patients with larger ischaemic strokes could benefit from endovascular thrombectomy, an international, multi-centre Phase III clinical trial will be...
NHCPA's 'racial profiling' action thrown out in 2018, bounces back into CMS's lap
The National Health Care Professionals Association's crusade against 'racial profiling' took a blow when its court application against 19 medical schemes was thrown out of...
SA-trained surgeon pioneers restoration of arm function in 13 tetraplegics
An Australia team has restored arm function in 13 completely paralysed patients, allowing them to feed themselves, use tools and handle electronic devices, in...
Discovery acts on technologist's 'illegal and unethical’ refusal to provide treatment
The death of a Northern KwaZulu-Natal woman after a "blackmailing" medical technologist refused to provide dialysis, citing suspended payments by Discovery Health, has drawn a strong...
Hospitals of fear: Police and guards 'run away' during attacks on patients
Highlighting again the unsafe conditions in SA's public hospitals, police and security guards allegedly fled while a gunshot-wound patient was being violently assaulted. Separately,...
GEMS appeals ruling placing it under Public Protector jurisdiction
GEMS (Government Employees Medical Scheme), is appealing a North Gauteng High Court ruling that granted the Public Protector jurisdiction over it, reports Business Day.
GEMS...
Memory changes may predate Alzheimer’s onset by 40 years
An international study suggests those at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease due to family history may demonstrate changes in memory performance as early...
Measles vaccine also delivers significant long-term health, cognition, and schooling benefits
Aside from the measles vaccine preventing an estimated 21.1m child deaths between 2000-2017 and reducing all-cause childhood mortality and infectious disease morbidity outcomes, a...
Working long hours linked with increased stroke risk
People who worked long hours had a higher risk of stroke, especially if they worked those hours for 10 years or more, according to...
Switch from red meat to cut mortality risk — 8-year Harvard study
Increased red meat intake, particularly processed red meat, is associated with a heightened risk of death, suggests a large, eight-year US study led by...
DNA-evidence shows link between gingivitis and Alzheimer's
DNA-evidence shows that gingivitis plays a substantial role in increasing Alzheimer's disease risk, found a small US study.
You don't only avoid holes in your...
Attacks on doctors highlight security dangers in state hospitals
Free State University has resumed training at a Bloemfontein hospital, briefly suspended over security concerns following an incident where a doctor prevented a rape...
In milestone trial, experimental drug markedly delays type 1 diabetes
Marking the culmination of a 33-year odyssey, scientists report a milestone in type 1 diabetes: the first time the disease has been markedly delayed...
Study tests the goal of 10,000 daily steps to reduce mortality risk
The goal of 10, 000 daily steps is widely believed to be necessary for health, but this number has limited scientific basis. A large, four-year...
Legal 'jumble' behind gynaecologist's 5-year jail sentence
The recent Gauteng High Court judgment upholding a 5-year jail sentence for gynaecologist Dr Danie van der Walt fails to make unambiguous SA's criminal law...
SA's new health minister is the 'master of survival'
Dr Aaron Motsoaledi leaves the national Health Department after 10 years, with the last few years marred by major failures in public health, while...
Two trials offer substantive hope for prostate cancer patients
The phase III ENZAMET trial found that 80% of men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer who received the non-steroidal anti-androgen (NSAA) medicine enzalutamide (Xtandi)...
Mapping the burden of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa
HIV/Aids remains the most common cause of death in the 47 nations of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) but with striking geographic variations in prevalence, shows...
Court of Appeal swayed by surgeon's detailed med scheme notes
North West surgeon Dr Samuel Smith's detailed motivation to a patient's medical scheme for keyhole surgery instead of riskier open surgery finally, after two years...
Crossword and number puzzle habits link to sharper brain in later life
Older adults who regularly take part in word and number puzzles have sharper brains, according to the largest online study to date. The more...
Intermittent fasting: From Pythagoras to Fung
Intermittent fasting has been around since Pythagoras but has now reached new heights of popularity because of extravagant claims by the likes of Dr Jason Fung,...
Training for a first marathon reverses vascular ageing
Novice marathoners experienced a four-year reduction in arterial age and a 4 mmHg drop in systolic blood pressure.s, found a study on London Marathon participants. Older...
New findings may mean hundreds of thousands misdiagnosed with Alzheimer's
Hundreds of thousands of older people diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are probably suffering from a different disease, which is why drugs trials keep failing,...
SA policies on medical treatment for aliens again face court scrutiny
An Ethiopian asylum seeker who was after three months of treatment denied dialysis at Helen Joseph Hospital in Johannesburg because she lacks the "appropriate" documentation,...
IAAF decision on testosterone 'a victory for female athletes everywhere'
There has been widespread condemnation of the International Association of Athletics FederationS ordering the control of natural testosterone levels in female athletes in some...
Work stress and impaired sleep linked to 3x higher CVD risk
Work stress and impaired sleep are linked to a threefold higher risk of cardiovascular death in employees with hypertension, found a German study with...
Gynaecologist’s jail sentence for negligence a worrying precedent — SASOG
The SA Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has "noted with significant concern" a High Court judgment that upheld the sentence of of five years direct...
Drugs to prevent stroke and dementia show promise in small trial
Treatments that prevent recurrence of types of stroke and dementia caused by damage to small blood vessels in the brain have moved a step...
Report on 'breakthrough' slimming pill — European Congress on Obesity
A "breakthrough" slimming pill that expands in the stomach was twice as successful as a placebo, according to research presented at the European Congress on Obesity....
High Court rejects gynae's appeal against 5-years' jail for deadly negligence
The Gauteng High Court (Pretoria) has confirmed the conviction and sentence of five years direct imprisonment for Dr Danie van der Walt, a gynaecologist...
Misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis found to be common
The misdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis (MS) was almost 20% in a US study, which found that of the people misdiagnosed, many received MS treatment for...
First malaria vaccination for children launched in Malawi
Malawi will begin immunising young children against malaria this week, in a landmark large-scale pilot programme of the first vaccine to give partial protection...
Novel 5-minute breathing workout improves BP, may boost brain function – clinical trial
Researchers found significant drops in blood pressure, improvements in large-artery function, and improved performance on certain cognitive and memory tests, by subject who performed Inspiratory Muscle Strength...
Nutritious foods but not dietary supplements linked to lower mortality risk
Adequate intake of certain nutrients is associated with a reduction in all-cause mortality when the nutrient source is foods, but not supplements, according to...
Large UK study finds statins fail to lower cholesterol in over half of patients
Experts have warned a more tailored approach is needed to the prescribing of statins, following a study suggesting they are ineffective at lowering cholesterol...