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HPCSA president wants medical aids abolished as a ‘crime against humanity’
The Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA) notes with some disappointment reports quoting the Health Professions Council of South Africa’s (HPSCA) Dr Kgosi Letlape...
Malaria drug stymied by new parasite strain
A drug which is highly effective at treating malaria and commonly used in the UK, failed to cure four patients who contracted the disease...
Courts, politicians and doctors failed dying psychiatric patients
The SA courts have not emerged unscathed from the saga of the deaths of 94 psychiatric patients at the hands of uncaring, incompetent Gauteng...
Makgoba report: 94 silent deaths and still counting
At least 94 people died after Gauteng Health moved 1,900 psychiatriac patients out of Life Esidimeni to 27 unlicensed facilities, says SA’s Health Ombudsman,...
Beating C. Diff: A new treatment and restricting common antibiotic
Restricting the use of a common antibiotic was more important than a high profile 'deep clean' of hospitals in massively reducing antibiotic resistant Clostridium...
VFT produces 'marked improvement' in stroke patients' vision
A simple visuo-motor feedback training (VFT) programme for home use produces marked and long-lasting improvements in visual neglect, found a study from the universities...
Drug-resistant TB mostly being spread person-to-person in SA
The worst form of drug-resistant tuberculosis in SA isn't just arising from inadequate treatment, it's mostly being spread from person to person. Researchers tracked...
OECD: Many new drugs are bad value for money
An Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development report has criticised the pricing strategy of the pharmaceutical industry, claiming that many new drugs are simply bad value for...
Concern over diagnostic low-dose radiation exposure challenged – study
The long-held belief that even low doses of radiation, such as those received in diagnostic imaging, increase cancer risk is based on an inaccurate,...
Study recommends reducing maximum storage limit of blood
The oldest blood available for transfusions releases large and potentially harmful amounts of iron into patients’ bloodstreams, a Columbia University study has found. Based on...
In high-intensity training, fewer reps could be more beneficial
For the first time, there is evidence that cardio-respiratory fitness levels are improved more by doing fewer repetitions of high-intensity exercise, according to a...
NHI will destroy private medicine and fuel emigration — IRR report
South Africa’s National Health Insurance system will effectively put an end to private health care, according to a report by the Institute of Race...
Fake medical journals, filled with bad science, are spreading
Recent years have seen the appearance of journals from mainstream publishers that are based entirely on pseudoscience. Forbes calls out the likes of BMJ,...
AspIrin's role in reducing cancer risks
Aspirin may slow the spread of some types of colon and pancreatic cancer cells, found a US study, while a Chinese study and meta-analysis...