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Medico-Legal
Federal court bars Pentagon from punishing vaccine refusers
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction barring the US Department of Defence from punishing a group of Navy SEALs and other special forces...
Founder of blood-test startup convicted of fraud
Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the US blood-testing company Theranos, has been convicted of defrauding investors after a months-long landmark trial in California.
Prosecutors said Holmes...
Medico-legal claims comment period extended by SALRC
The return date for comment on Discussion Paper 154 on Project 141: Medico-legal Claims, has been extended, says the SA Law Reform Commission.
As reported...
South Africa’s overseas-trained doctors no longer to do training year
South African doctors trained abroad will now be allowed to sit local entry exams without needing to complete a conversion year of clinical training,...
Medicolegal claims double to R74bn and fuel an exodus of specialists
Medicolegal claims against the State have doubled from R37bn in 2016 to R74bn in 2020/21, reports Financial Mail. In obstetrics, gynaecology and neurosurgery, annual...
US medical boards oppose legislation on disciplining doctors
The number of US doctors spreading disinformation or inaccurate facts about COVID-19 and its treatment is increasing, but few have been disciplined by their...
Founder of ‘breakthrough’ blood-testing technology gives evidence
Elizabeth Holmes, founder and CEO of now-defunct “breakthrough” US blood testing company, Theranos, concluded her testimony in her fraud trial.
Holmes, 37, faces nine counts...
US Supreme Court again rejects religious challenge to vaccine mandate
The US Supreme Court has rejected challenges to the New York state mandate that healthcare workers be vaccinated against COVID-19. The legal challenge was...
UK quarantine: Out-of-pocket travellers to SA take government to court
The UK government is being taken to court by angry returning travellers from southern Africa over a “fundamental breach of human rights” and the...
Clicks Group’s SCA wins appeal over ICPA complaint on pharmacies
The Supreme Court of Appeal has granted the appeal by the Clicks Group against a decision of the Western Cape High Court that had...
New CPD guidelines from AHPCSA for complementary medicine practitioners
The Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA): guidelines for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) for acupuncture, aromatherapy, Ayurveda, Chinese medicine and acupuncture, chiropractic,...
Cape High Court dismisses liquor ban application by wine industry body Vinpro
The Western Cape High Courtʼs ruling on Tuesday dismissing the wine industry bodyʼs application against the liquor bans was a blow and a disappointment...
Cederberg municipal officials and company owner charged with PPE fraud
Three senior Cederberg municipal officials and the owner of a private company have appeared in the Clanwilliam Magistrate’s Court after their arrest by the...
Supreme Court inquiry into Brazil president linking vaccination to AIDS infection
Brazil’s Supreme Court has opened an inquiry into comments made by President Jair Bolsonaro claiming that COVID-19 vaccines may increase the chance of contracting...
Portugal’s president vetoes physician-aided death Bill for the second time
President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has, for the second time, vetoed a Bill to allow physician-assisted death in Portugal. The Bill aims to to...
Italian man charged over wearing fake arm to avoid COVID vaccine
An Italian man determined to obtain a health pass, by any means, now faces fraud charges after arriving for his COVID-19 vaccine wearing a...
Austrian surgeon fined for amputating wrong leg
An Austrian court has fined a surgeon for amputating the wrong leg of an elderly patient. According to a report in The Guardian, the...
SAMA calls for specialised courts to handle medico-legal cases
The SA Medical Association has called for the establishment of specialised medical courts to deal with medico-legal cases. The Star reports that in addition...
Pupils’ COVID jabs vital: Section27 in bid to dismiss ACDP application
Barring 12- to 17-year-olds from getting COVID-19 vaccines will lead to further academic interruptions and curtail efforts to limit the virus’s spread, according to...
Basic Education Department releases guidelines for handling pregnant pupils
An approved Department of Basic Education (DBE) policy provides detailed guidelines on the procedure for handling a pupil's pregnancy, which includes upholding a child's...
Gqeberha doctor fined R120,000 over fake medical certificates for truck drivers
A Gqeberha-based medical doctor has been fined R120,000 and handed a suspended striking from the roll, for fraudulently issuing medical certificates required by drivers...
Health DG cleared in Digital Vibes contract probe and returns to work
National Health Department DG Sandile Buthelezi has been cleared of all charges relating to the R150m Digital Vibes contract. Nearly three months after being...
Public hearings highlight issue of ‘safe relinquishment’ of unwanted babies
As the Portfolio Committee on Social Development continues with the nationwide public consultations on legalising the “safe relinquishment” of unwanted babies, some local NGOs...
Botswana’s landmark gay rights ruling upheld by Court of Appeal
Botswana’s government lost a legal attempt on Monday (29 November) to overturn a landmark ruling that decriminalised homosexuality. eNCA reports that the country's High...
Jailed gynae whose conviction was reversed by ConCourt ends silence
Dr Danie van der Walt, the first South African doctor jailed for the death of a patient and who served eight months of a...
Medical parole makes moot ‘racist’ DA’s application on Zuma
Papers arguing that the application seeking to have Jacob Zuma’s medical parole withdrawn and have him returned to jail to serve out his time...
Pretoria doctor suspended for 3-years over patients’ investments
A Pretoria doctor who persuaded patients and former patients to invest in a company that he knew was failing at the time, and which...
Esidimeni Inquest roundup: Former Health MEC ‘inspired fear’
People working with former Gauteng Health MEC Qedani Mahlangu were afraid of disagreeing with her, testified Levy Mosenogi, the manager of the Life Esidimeni...
SIU hands Defence Force PPE corruption cases to NPA
The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has finalised its investigation into PPE corruption and fraud in the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). Zakheni Strategic...
SA Law Reform Commission outlines sweeping medical negligence changes
The Law Reform Commission (SALRC) has proposed sweeping legal changes to curb the soaring medical negligence claims against the State, writes MedicalBrief. A “uniquely...
Court furore over Eastern Cape attempt to stop medical negligence writs
A “shameful and bad faith” last-minute High Court bid by the Eastern Cape government to have all writs against the Health Department’s bank account...
MPs disapproving of R351m spent in a year to investigate DoH corruption
At least R351m of taxpayers’ money was spent in a single year to investigate corruption within the national Department of Health, to the disapproval...
Court rules Biden vaccine mandate ‘fatally flawed’ and ‘staggeringly over-broad’
US President Joe Bidenʼs vaccine and testing requirements for private businesses are “fatally flawed” and “staggeringly over-broad”, ruled a federal appeals court, probably “exceeding...
Inquest roundup: Life Esidimeni leader wanted to stop patient transfers
The man tasked with leading the Life Esidimeni project, in terms of which a number of mental health patients had to be moved to...
SIU probe into Medical Schemes regulator ‘almost complete’
The SIU’s probe into the medical schemes regulator is almost complete, Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) registrar Sipho Kabane told Parliament last week (Wednesday...
Failed bid to have 47,000 community health workers made permanent employees
An attempt by the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) to have more than 47,000 community health workers (CHWs) employed permanently by...
US Supreme Court overturns $465m opioid ruling against J&J
A massive $465m verdict against Johnson & Johnson (J&J) for public nuisance through its prescription opioid marketing campaign in the state has been reversed...
ACDP challenge to child vaccinations postponed following request for “special” hearing
The legal challenge by the ACDP and other concerned organisations to halt the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine to children between the ages of...
Doctor’s lobby group joins ACDP’s urgent application to halt child vaccinations
A Durban doctor’s lobby group, the Caring Healthcare Workers Coalition, has joined the African Christian Democratic Party and two other organisations to oppose the Department...
North West Health HOD and Finance MEC acquitted of job-fixing charge
Former North West Health HOD Andrew Lekalakala and former Finance, Economy & Enterprise Development MEC Wendy Nelson and have been acquitted on R8m fraud...