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News Update
Motsoaledi vows action after hospital patient deaths
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has lashed out at “inhumane” treatment that led to a psychiatric patient’s death, saying conduct exposed in a recent scathing...
FDA wants drug pulled, warns of fatal liver injuries
Eight deaths and dozens of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) cases have been linked to a medication the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) wants...
Sanitary pad saga – MPs call for regulatory reforms
MPs have called for regulatory changes to be explored, including possible amendments to make the criteria of the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) compulsory,...
MEC claims private ambulance left patient ‘on roadside’
KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma has claimed private ambulance service ALS Paramedics had left a patient, without medical aid, stranded on the side of...
Only 3% of South Africans using condoms as STIs rise
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise in South Africa, and while exact numbers are difficult to pinpoint, regional data paint a worrying...
Cape team pioneers cryoablation for thyroid cancer
In what is described as a monumental step forward for cancer treatment in South Africa, a team at the UCT Private Academic Hospital successfully...
Report flags safety of NHS diabetic patients in British hospitals
A report from Britain’s Health Services Safety Investigations Body has uncovered persistent and significant safety risks facing patients with insulin‑dependent diabetes when they are...
Pope blesses xenotransplantation for Catholics
New guidance from the Vatican says Catholics are permitted to receive transplants of animal tissues for specific medical conditions – this as advancements in procedures involving genetically modified pig...
Fruit squash drink pulled from shelves
Batches of a popular fruit squash drink have been recalled by the the National Consumer Commission (NCC), which said nearly 3 000 cases of...
Illegal Midrand doctor nabbed after 10 years
Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said that 20 unregistered doctors were arrested in the 2025/2026 financial year for practising illegally, including one in Midrand...
Eli Lilly to withdraw some insulin products from Europe
Eli Lilly is scaling back its insulin footprint in Europe, with plans to discontinue a swathe of products for “commercial reasons”, while increasingly leaning...
Local engineer launches affordable, effective prosthetic knee
A young South African engineer, who has designed what she says is the country’s first affordable prosthetic knee, says there is a massive gap...
Medical aids in 'witch-hunt' of physiotherapists, Pretoria study finds
The processes used by medical schemes to carry out forensic audits on physiotherapists are unfair, suggests a recent study, which revealed troubling ethical and...
Momentum to spend millions, hire hundreds, for Bonitas takeover
Momentum appears unconcerned about the NHI or a legal challenge from Medscheme, with CEO Jeanette Marais saying the company will fork out millions and...
Police officers arrested over ‘Cat’ Matlala health contract
A dozen police officers have been arrested by the National Prosecuting Authority’s Independent Directorate Against Corruption (Idac) in connection with a R360m health contract linked...
GEMS faces funding shortfall amid union pressure
The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) revealed a funding shortfall this week of roughly R2bn after healthcare claims outpaced member contributions in 2025, adding...
Ozempic goes generic for billions of people worldwide
Novo Nordisk is on the verge of losing patent protection for its blockbuster weight loss drug in India, China and several other nations, opening...
KZN’s emergency medical services in dire straits
Life support is urgently needed for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in KwaZulu-Natal, according to a recent report, which found that more than half...
MP calls for scrapping of costly medical scheme
Members of Parliament and other office bearers should be allowed to choose their own medical scheme, and not be made to sign up for...
Hospital patients battling without hot water for three months
Patients at Pholosong Regional Hospital in Tsakane, Gauteng, have been struggling to bath or shower for nearly three months – with visitors having to...
Cape dental students protest against delayed lectures
The Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) has denied that dental classes for 2026 have not yet started – despite protesting students saying lectures...
Millions diverted from circumcision project to actress and cronies
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) has revealed that R20.56m in grant funding for a circumcision project from the National Lotteries Commission (NLC) was instead...
US hospital sues to evict patient who won’t leave
Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare has sued a patient who refuses to leave her hospital room, despite being discharged in October, reports AP.
The hospital has also...
Citro-Soda recall after possible contamination
The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has issued a recall on some batches of Citro-Soda Regular amid concerns of possible contamination at a...
Psychiatric patient sets blanket on fire
A fire that led to the immediate evacuation of about 30 patients at Sebokeng Hospital last Thursday was started in a psychiatry holding room...
Judge sets deadline for rules on FMD jabs
As cattle continue to be ravaged by the highly contagious viral mouth and mouth disease (FMD), the Department of Agriculture has been given three...
National Health Lab Service IT system down – again
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), which provides laboratory services to every single public sector health provider countrywide, reported a major disruption to its...
Bonitas-Medscheme row threatens jobs – Sanlam CEO
At least 5 000 jobs are at risk as the legal saga between Medscheme and Bonitas Medical Fund – which stripped it of long-term...
Ramaphosa says NHI still a realistic goal
Despite the many legal challenges impeding its proclamation, implementation of the National Health Act will proceed as planned, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa last...
Activists back in court over Dudula bullying of migrants
Three organisations have taken the Gauteng Department of Health back to court to enforce a court order, saying Operation Dudula thugs are still barring...
Guaranteed orders vital for anti-HIV jab production – Aspen
The country’s largest generic manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare, has warned that local drugmakers will need guaranteed demand to produce Gilead’s twice-year HIV prevention shot lenacapavir,...
Limpopo team separates conjoined twins in complex surgery
Doctors in Limpopo made history after separating conjoined twin boys – born in January at Mankweng Hospital outside Polokwane – in a mammoth eight-hour surgical procedure on...
Discovery uses AI prompts to expedite health checks, diagnoses
AI-driven health prompts to Discovery Life clients are boosting the numbers of preventative screenings while lowering their costs of cover, reports Business Day.
The tool...
Gauteng Health denies debt affects services at Tshwane hospital
The Gauteng Department of Health has denied that R33m in unpaid supplier debt is forcing providers to restrict services to Odi District Hospital, or...
TB outbreak affects 200 at Durban homeless camp
Health authorities have confirmed a TB outbreak among a homeless settlement at North Beach, Durban, where nearly 200 people living in tents tested positive...
KZN neurosurgeons perform world-class treatment
A team of doctors on KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast has achieved a major medical milestone for the region – removing a brain tumour without a...
DA calls for clarity on Health officials’ suspensions
The DA has questioned whether accountability and consequence management are prioritised in the Department of Health, calling on Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi to...
Zambia stands firm against US bullying over health support
The US State Department is threatening to withhold lifesaving health support to Zambia as a negotiating tactic to force that country’s government to sign...
Judge strikes down US vaccine policy changes
In a major blow to the Trump administration’s health agenda, a Massachusetts federal judge has blocked the US Government from implementing a series of...
Google bins AI search feature of amateur medical advice
Google has dumped a new artificial intelligence search feature that gave users crowdsourced health advice from amateurs around the world – not because of...