HomeHealth Policy
Health Policy
Homeopathy doesn't work – research council
Homeopathy is not effective for treating any health condition, Australia's top body for medical research has concluded, after undertaking an extensive review of existing studies.
Maternal and child health must remain a MDG goal – Motsoaledi
SA is unlikely to meet the Millennium Development Goals to reduce maternal and child deaths by the MDG’s September deadline (see MedicalBrief – 19),...
New technique approved for treating UK breast cancer patients
Thousands of breast cancer patients will benefit from more convenient 20-minute one-off dose of radiotherapy after the UK’s National Health Service drugs rationing body...
NPA warns that Initiation schools must abide by Children’s Act
Initiation schools should abide by the Children’s Act when performing circumcision on boys, the SA National Prosecuting Authority said. ‘Those who contravene these sections...
Guide hopes to lead to uptake of improved TB treatment
A 32-page guide developed by the US-based independent AIDS research and policy think tank, the Treatment Action Group (TAG), outlines tuberculosis (TB) drugs currently...
Government spells out ‘circumcision resolutions’
Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Deputy Minister Obed Bapela has clarified government’s role in ensuring that – as a ‘cultural practice’ – the process...
US panel recommends fluoride varnish for infants
Paediatricians and other primary care doctors should apply fluoride varnish to infants’ teeth soon after they erupt, according to new cavity-fighting guidelines. Health24 reports...
US releases guidelines on [i]C.difficile[/i] prevention
With rates of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) now rivalling drug-resistant Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as the most common bacteria to cause healthcare-associated infections, new...
Plans outlined for R1bn new health university
Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande has outlined plans for the development of a new health and allied sciences university into which the...
US agency approves first alternative to Pap test
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first alternative to the long-used Pap test as a primary screening method for cervical...
US regulations to cover e-cigarettes and all tobacco products
The US Food and Drug Administration is proposing sweeping new rules that would extend its regulatory authority from cigarettes to electronic cigarettes. The New...
Outreach campaigns targeting HIV in informal settlements
SA has charted steady and significant decreases in mother-to-child HIV transmission rates but prevention of mother-to-child HIV (PMTCT) campaigns may still be starting HIV-positive...
Crimea situation a setback in the fight against HIV
The 20th anniversary of the discovery of HIV has coincided with the latest setback in the efforts to defeat the virus, writes Norman Fowler,...
Traditional healers are modernising but remain unregulated
After decades in the shadows, SA’s traditional healers, or sangomas, are modernising and becoming big business, raising questions about the need for strict regulation,...
Task team to address SANDF complaints
A Ministerial task team has been given six weeks to come up with recommendations to ensure the SA Military Health Service’s (SAMHS) three hospitals...
Although still lagging, policy is boosting UK LARC usage
A UK policy to increase long-term contraceptive methods has boosted prescriptions by about 110,000 over three years. HealthCanal reports that research, conducted at Imperial...
Australia: 'No solid evidence' that contracting hospital services saves money
Australia's Health Minister Peter Dutton recently indicated that contracting out further public hospital services to the private sector is one option that the government...
Reducing air pollution could save millions of lives – WHO
The World Health Organisation estimates that 7m people died as a result of air pollution in 2012, which suggest a link between air pollution...
UK water fluoridation report dismisses claims of health danger
The British Dental Health Foundation has welcomed Public Health England’s confirmation that water fluoridation significantly improves oral health, writes Economic Voice. The report reveals...
Climate will to impact on health – surveys
Warmer summers brought on by climate change will cause more deaths in London and southeast England than the rest of the UK. According to...
South Africans must eat less salt – deputy Health minister
If SA is going to successfully implement National Health Insurance (NHI), South Africans are going to have to put down the salt. Health-e reports...
Poorly planned heath initiatives costing billions
Chronic illnessesexact a heavy toll on businesses, budgets and economies. According to a World Economic Forum report, they account for the lion’s share of...
SA’s move on ARVs welcomed with reservations
The move by the SA government to give ARVs to patients with a CD4 count lower than 500, up from below 350, has been...
Controversy over c ondoms to help fight STDs in SA schools
C ondoms could be available at high schools across SA as early as next year, in a bid to counter high teenage pregnancy rates...
Draft policy aims at uniformity for community health workers
Conditions of employment for community health workers (CHWs) in SA – an essential link between communities and the often-confusing health-care system – are beset...
Office to examine drug patent applications being considered
The Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, is mulling the possibility of establishing an office dedicated to examining drug patent applications in SA, reports...
SA health union supports adoption of Intellectual Property Bill
SA’s National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) has reiterated its position, that the adoption of the National Policy on Intellectual Property is...
Legislation drafted for a new medicines regulatory body
Draft legislation that will pave the way for a new regulatory body for medicines has been tabled in Parliament, Business Day reports. It’s a...
Complementary medicines industry resisting government’s regulation efforts
SA’s R8bn complementary medicines industry is ‘blatantly resisting’ the government’s attempts at regulation, ignoring a 15 February deadline to put disclaimers on its products,...
Still uncertainty about NHI implementation
There is some uncertainty about the implementation of SA’s National Health Insurance (NHI) plan. The Citizen reports that according to tax expert Dale Cridlan,...
Emphasis placed on fight against HIV and AID necessary – Minister
Responding to a question on why the department had placed such an emphasis on HIV and AIDS to the possible disadvantage of other healthcare...
Institute to improve MCC’s capacity to approve drugs
SA’s Department of Health will launch a spec ialised institute of regulatory medicine in April as one of the measures to improve the capacity...
Blurred vision over legislating alcohol-control policies
Despite the eagerness of governments to legislate alcohol-control policies, it was time to admit that the evidence was far from conclusive, writes Henry Yeomans...
British NHS row over patient records sold to insurers
The medical records of every British National Health Service hospital patient have been sold for insurance purposes, reports The Telegraph. The disclosure comes after...