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News Update
Hawks accused of delays in bogus KZN doctor probe
The Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (the Hawks) in KwaZulu-Natal is under fire after being accused of deliberately dragging its heels in a criminal...
Regulators warn those still dispensing iDexis recalled meds
Doctors, pharmacists and others who are still prescribing or dispensing recalled iDexis semaglutide and tirzepatide products have been warned by regulators that they face...
Discovery AGM green lights review of transgender member coverage
A motion to review access to healthcare for transgender and gender diverse members has been narrowly approved at the Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS)...
Motsoaledi defends limited LEN rollout
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has defended the limited rollout of the six-monthly injectable lenacapavir (LEN) – this as Gauteng Health last week announced that...
Rob Ferreira Hospital ‘has no hot water, no linen’, oversight visit finds
Nursing staff at Rob Ferreira Hospital in Mbombela have to take kettles to work to ensure their patients have hot water for bathing, because...
Cape Town says study on firefighters’ respiratory issues inaccurate
A study from the University of the Western Cape suggesting that more than half of the province’s firefighters have reported respiratory problems has been...
The best – and worst – districts in SA in which to give birth
A total of 29 babies died every single day in South African public hospitals in 2024 before they were one-month-old, according to figures from...
Kidney disease drug gets FDA thumbs-up
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved California-headquartered Vera Therapeutics’ drug to treat patients with a potentially life-threatening kidney disease, reports Reuters.
The drug, Trutakna,...
FDA passes Vertex’s Casgevy for two-year-olds
America’s Vertex Pharmaceuticals has secured a label expansion through the FDA’s Commissioner’s National Priority Voucher (CNPV) programme that will now allow children as young...
US mother charged with murdering her twins after blaming vaccines
A US woman who claimed vaccines were to blame for the death of her 18-month-old twins has been charged with their murder, and accused...
New deputy dean of medical sciences for University of KwaZulu-Natal
Internationally recognised prediabetes researcher and award-winning Professor Andile Khathi has been appointed as Deputy Dean for the Division of Medical Sciences in the University...
US Surgeon-General issues advisory for children’s screen time
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Surgeon-General has released an advisory on the harms of excessive screen use...
Warning after Death Cap mushroom poisoning spike
Five cases of poisoning from wild mushrooms have been recorded in Cape Town in the past two weeks, and although all victims have recovered,...
Chinese liver transplant studies retracted over organ harvesting concerns
Two Chinese studies related to liver transplantation published more than a decade ago in the Journal of Hepatology have been retracted by the journal’s editors, who...
Ombud probe into six medics’ deaths finds no link to workplaces or bullying
A joint investigation into the deaths of six KwaZulu-Natal healthcare professionals has found no direct link with victimisation, workplace bullying or adverse working conditions,...
South African healthcare sector being bled dry by thieves and cheats
Crooked doctors, exorbitant overcharging, and procurement irregularities are pushing health costs sky-high, reports TimesLIVE, with as much as 15% of all healthcare claims being...
Ditch NHI legal challenges, focus on dialogue, BHF conference hears
Private healthcare funders should dump the various legal challenges against the National Health Insurance (NHI) – which were likely to drag on for another...
Children wait nearly three years for surgery at Charlotte Maxeke
Gauteng Health MEC Faith Mazibuko has called for a dedicated emergency paediatric theatre with dedicated anaesthetic and nursing support at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. This...
GEMS under fire from unions for not getting green light for lower premiums
The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) has been slammed by unions for its failure to obtain regulatory approval to reduce member contributions. They have...
SA prepares for Ebola outbreak as DRC health workers threaten strike
Government has designated 36 hospitals – 12 private and 24 public facilities – to manage any Ebola patients if the virus reaches South Africa,...
Court dismisses urgent bid to stop cardiologist’s social media posts
A KwaZulu-Natal patient who sought an order preventing his former cardiologist from publishing Tiktok videos that allegedly disclosed his private medical information has had...
Nurses’ religious objections push SA teens to backstreet abortions
An 18-year-old from rural Limpopo said she had to resort to an illegal abortion from a traditional healer after a nurse at a public...
Deadly hantavirus outbreak over, WHO announces
The rodent-borne virus, which sickened passengers on the MV Hondius, killed three people, led to a race to find its origin and a global...
Donation of R1.1m boosts Tygerberg Hospital Children’s Trust
The Tygerberg Hospital Children’s Trust has received a significant donation of R1 105 000 from the South African Muslim Charitable Trust (SAMCT), which will...
KZN doctor opens container clinic for her rural hometown
An enterprising and dedicated young doctor has provided a medical lifeline for her rural hometown community in KwaZulu-Natal, using her personal savings to open...
MND now a ‘notifiable’ condition in Australian ‘hotspot’ state
Health authorities in the state of New South Wales in Australia have classified motor neurone disease (MND) as a “notifiable condition”, meaning doctors will...
AstraZeneca coughs up $34m to settle ‘kickback’ lawsuit
AstraZeneca will pay $34m to resolve a lawsuit alleging the company used illegal kickbacks, including free nursing services, to induce providers to write prescriptions...
French National Assembly passes assisted dying Bill, with tweaks
The French National Assembly has passed the assisted dying Bill – a law that has sparked controversy countrywide – with 295 votes versus 232...
South Africans rush to receive LEN jab
More than 6 000 eligible people in Gauteng have already received the long-acting HIV prevention injection lenacapavir (LEN) since the phased rollout began on...
US and Tanzania ink $1.3bn five-year health pact
Tanzania has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States that clinches an American investment of more than $1.3bn in the country’s health...
NEJM retracts pivotal data for Amgen’s controversial Tavneos
Pivotal data for Amgen’s Tavneos have been retracted from the New England Journal of Medicine, creating another obstacle for the beleaguered autoimmune drug, reports...
Nigerian hospital denies removing kidney during patient’s C-section
The management of Nigeria’s State Specialist Hospital, Gombe, has strongly denied allegations circulating on social media that its doctors unlawfully removed the kidney of...
Call for 'balanced' perceptions on vaping after major review
Researchers are calling for balanced perceptions so that vaping becomes less visible and less appealing to children while ensuring it remains an effective and...
Costly blow for public workers as GEMS proposed decrease rejected
The Government Employees Medical Scheme says its request for a lower increase in contributions has been rejected, with the expected and more acceptable 7.5%...
iDexis seeks legal advice after court halts compounding
Pretoria pharmacy iDexis has said it will be taking legal advice after the High Court order to stop producing weight-loss medicines containing semaglutide –...
More arrests likely in Medicare24 tender corruption case
None of the people already linked to the R288m SAPS Medicare24 tender corruption case has approached the state to negotiate a plea deal yet,...
More than 50 hospitals still headed by acting CEOs
The absence of permanent CEOs at state hospitals across South Africa is alarming, with Gauteng alone having 13 out of 37 facilities headed by...
Tobacco Bill lurches forward – with amendments possible
South Africa’s much stalled and controversial Bill that plans to enforce stringent regulations on tobacco use and the vaping industry is showing signs of...
Boys die after flu-like symptoms
A four-year-old boy from Verulam, outside Durban, died last week hours after being treated for a cough, said his mother, who is waiting for...
Health Ombud reports on probe into KZN doctors’ deaths
The findings of investigations into the deaths of several former medical staff from KwaZulu-Natal state hospitals were to be discussed this week at a...