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News Update
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...
Now Uganda has suspected Marburg case
Uganda, which is struggling to contain the threat of what is already the third-largest Ebola outbreak on record – centred in the neighbouring Democratic...
Thousands missed in Ebola contact tracing, warns Africa CDC
The Africa Centre for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) says that the majority of people testing positive for Ebola in the Democratic Republic of...
NHS maternity care failures led to deaths, harm to hundreds of mothers and babies
An inquiry into NHS England’s biggest ever maternity scandal has revealed that more than 500 mothers and babies came to harm or died because...
Hundreds charged in US multi-billion-dollar healthcare fraud crackdown
Nearly 500 people have been charged by the US Justice Department after a two-week healthcare fraud crackdown that officials say involved more than $6.5bn...
UN meeting renews commitment to end Aids by 2030
Last week’s United Nations High-Level Meeting on HIV/Aids concluded with an overwhelming majority of member states adopting a new political declaration and a reaffirmed...
Murder charge for parents after death of obese seven-year-old son
A Michigan couple whose seven-year-old son, weighing more than 115kg, died of heart disease have been charged with second-degree murder, torture and three counts...
Donald Trump rumoured to be on experimental obesity drug
Speculation is rife in the United States that President Donald Trump – who is allegedly being seen by 22 doctors – might be taking...
Remgro now official 100% owner of Mediclinic Holdings
Billionaire Johann Rupert’s South African investment vehicle, Remgro, has officially taken full control of Mediclinic Holdings’ Southern Africa business unit, signalling the end of...
India tightens cough syrup regulations
India’s Health Ministry has issued new regulations for over-the-counter syrup-based medicines – including cough mixture – which are now banned from sales without a...
Egyptian doctor arrested after exposing obstetric violence
Egyptian human rights groups have condemned the arrest of a former doctor – later released on bail – after she had posted testimony on...
'A matter of time' before Ebola arrives in SA, says expert
One of South Africa’s top infectious disease experts has warned that it’s simply “a matter of time” before an Ebola case is imported to...
Madlanga Inquiry evidence implicates Medicare24 boss in drug deals
WhatsApp chats, voice notes and video clips presented before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry on Monday revealed what appeared to be drug dealing between...
Novo wins round one to block compounded Ozempic by local pharmacy
South African pharmacy iDexis has been temporarily barred from distributing and marketing its compounded weight loss injectable pens, with the Gauteng High Court issuing...
Tembisa officials helped kingpin score R25m in two hours
Alleged Tembisa Hospital corruption kingpin Stefan Govindraju scooped a R25m payday in two and a half hours using a bunch of shell companies –...
Physiotherapists fail in medical schemes clawbacks case
In a blow for the profession after a five-year battle, the South African Society of Physiotherapy (SASP) has lost its bid to scrap legal...
GEMS plan risks members’ long-term interests – CMS
A plan by the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) for lower contributions – to accommodate union demands – is neither financially sound nor in...
Eastern Cape MEC, HoD ordered to pay wages or face arrest/fine
The Eastern Cape Department of Health has until Tuesday next week to comply with an order to pay the salaries of a group of...
Fake sick note scheme bust by SAPS
Two men who ran a thriving business selling fraudulent sick notes in KwaMashu, Durban, were arrested this week after a drug addict unwittingly tipped...
Special mental health unit built for Western Cape’s teenage girls
The Western Cape has spent millions designing and building a specialised inpatient ward for teenage girls battling severe mental health issues, reports IOL.
Lentegeur Hospital’s...