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Medico-Legal
Non-disclosure: Doctors should not attack medical schemes for acting
Deception by patients of medical schemes through the non-disclosure of health information is sharply on the increase, writes Elmarie Jensen, marketing manager of Genesis...
Court rules for PMB obstetrician over R14m claim for non-sterilisation
Relying on his clinical notes and the absence of a signed consent form, the Pietermaritzburg High Court has rejected a R14m claim against Dr...
Women ponder litigation over Allergan breast implants link to rare cancer
More than 200 women are considering legal action over the controversial Allergan breast implants which have been linked to a rare form of cancer....
Provision for medico-legal exposure 'lacking in NHI draft'
National Health Insurance is the proposed funding model for universal health care. However, writes Donald Dinnie of Natmed Medical Defence in a Daily Maverick...
Appeal Court rejects Kenyan doctors’ claims of ‘intellectual slave labour’ to white researchers
Claims by a group of Kenyan doctors against ‘apartheid-style’discrimination by the Kenya Medical Research Institute have been rejected by the country’s Court of Appeal,...
Doctor sidesteps HPCSA but still has R22m headache
A Gauteng doctor implicated in a R22m fraud case involving patients has secured a legal victory against the Health Professions Council of SA by...
EC Health racks up billions in medico-legal claims
It’s R23bn and counting – City Press reports that that is the amount in medico-legal claims the Eastern Cape faces, has racked up in...
Sama backs Caster against the IAAF on hormone manipulation
The SA Medical Association (Sama) has thrown its support behind athletics star Caster Semenya, saying that the proposed requirement for hormonal manipulation in athletes...
Transgender researcher's case of rejected research quashed
A UK psychotherapist who wanted to research reverse gender reassignment has claimed that he had his academic proposal rejected because his university was scared...
A culture of intimidation is thriving in the NHS
Hundreds of doctors in the UK have been accused of bullying and sexually harassing colleagues in the past five years, prompting concern that a...
Private hospital agrees to 'alternative treatment' of sickle cell anaemia
A 10-year-old KwaZulu-Natal girl's latest bout of illness may have strengthened her Jehovah's Witness parents' court battle against receiving blood transfusions. The Times reports...
Claim against gynaecologist for tubal ligation billed but not performed
A KwaZulu-Natal gynaecologist is being sued for damages after a couple conceived after a requested tubal ligation was not performed, although the doctor billed...
J&J receives subpoenas related to asbestos contamination litigation
Johnson & Johnson has announced that it has received subpoenas from the US Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) related to...
CMS coy on why it prematurely terminated probe into Bonitas
New questions have been raised by Business Day about the Council for Medical Schemes' decision in 2018 inexplicably to terminate a two-year investigation into allegations of trustee...
Limpopo must rehire dentists who are on study contracts
The Public Servants Association has welcomed the judgment by the Limpopo High Court which has ordered the Limpopo Health Department to re-employ seven dentists....
Eastern Cape Health hostage to ‘brutal thuggery’ of unions — Judge
A Labour Court judge says Eastern Cape Health appears to be held hostage by a concentrated union campaign of "violence and intimidation" at its Fort...
'Free to be’ cardiologist lays charges over Twitter slur
Dr Viwe Mtwesi, a young cardiologist who was labelled a "prostitute" on Twitter for the dress she wore, has opened a case a case...
Attorney accused of R30m medical fraud granted bail
An Eastern Cape attorney arrested by the Hawks on charges of R30m fraud for allegedly raking medical negligence claims dating back to 2013 and...
Pretoria GP '100% liable' after failed SMS warning of deadly diagnosis
Dr Jurgen Odendaal, a Pretoria East general practitioner, whose SMS messages to a patient warning of a cerebral malaria diagnosis were sent to a...
HPCSA hearing adjourned against surgeon over 'coolie mentality' claims
A Health Professions Council of SA inquiry into Professor Anunathan Reddi, a Durban surgeon who allegedly said Indians had a "coolie" mentality and also...
Nurse sues after eight months without pay because of 'system glitch'
Melanie Vorster, a staff nurse of the Bongani Hospital in Welkom has issued summons against the Free State Health MEC after not being paid...
R23m claim on private hospital after doctor arrives late
A Vosloorus mother has claimed R23m from a private hospital after her son was born with severe brain damage, says a Pretoria News report....
Former health unionist in court over R50m fraud of US donor funds
Former CEO of the South African Clothing and Textile Workers' Union's Worker Health Programme, Colleen Khumalo, has appeared in the Cape Town Regional Court...
'Right-to-die' murder trial postponed
The murder trial of Sean Davison, who founded the "right to die" organisation DignitySA, was postponed to April after he made a quick appearance...
Provincial health services at risk over R80.4bn in medical negligence claims
A "near exponential" increase in medical negligence claims against the state has left provincial health departments with R80.4bn in contingent liabilities, equivalent to more...
Doctor with disability takes on Life Healthcare over unfair dismissal
Sarah Whitehead has overcome every challenge life has thrown at her, but now, reports The Times, the doctor with a disability is facing her...
Pretoria hospital sued for 'lack of compassion' over death of premature twin
A Pretoria couple are claiming R1.5m in damages from the Louis Pasteur Private Hospital for the trauma they had to endure when they walked...
Family feud drove doctor allegedly to order a 'hit' on brother-in-law
A family feud drove a neurosurgeon at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital allegedly to order a “hit” on his brother-in-law, who is also...
Concern over light sentence for non-consent circumcision on underage boy
An illegal traditional surgeon, who charged R400 and a bottle of brandy per procedure, has been found guilty of circumcising an underage boy in...
Traditional leaders demands legal action on initiate deaths
The Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders is demanding the law to be tightened to deal with those responsible for deaths of initiates in...
Christmas Day staffing failure costs Gauteng Health R17m
A mother who gave birth to a premature baby because unskilled nursing staff and doctors were on duty on Christmas Day seven years ago...
Jehovah's Witness parents may contest interim blood transfusion order
The parents of three children who require blood transfusions should their conditions deteriorate are expected to file opposing papers against an interim order extended...
First listeriosis class action claims may be paid out in 2020
The first claims associated with the listeriosis class action could be paid out in mid to late 2020 at the earliest. City Press reports...
GEMS backs down and agrees to cover patient's Keytruda treatment
A medical doctor's court battle to get the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) to pay for his cancer treatment has ended after the expensive...
Eastern Cape Health claims 3x Health Dept's entire budget
The Eastern Cape's medical legal claims are three times more than the Health Department’s entire operational budget, the auditor-general has revealed. According to a...
Tiger Brands not opposing listeriosis litigation being certified as class action
Lawyers representing victims of the listeriosis outbreak will approach the South Gauteng High Court to certify the litigation as a class action. Tiger Brands,...
Huntington's disease case could change patient confidentiality rules
Lawyers are bringing a case against a London hospital trust that could trigger major changes to the rules governing patient confidentiality, reports The Guardian....
Implant investigation shows costs of poor regulation and testing
The Prolift vaginal mesh implant was launched despite the company being warned it could shrink and harden inside the body, according to an international...
KZN Health's medical negligence claims spiralling out of control
Medical negligence claims against KZN Health continue to mount, with the department having exceeded its total budget in just six months of this financial...
R5.1m lawsuit after migraine injection goes wrong
An injection in the neck to alleviate excruciating migraines, which caused a woman to suffer from partial tetraplegia has resulted in a R5.1m negligence claim...