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News Update
Nothing dodgy about ARV tender awards, says Motsoaledi
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has dismissed the suggestion of any irregularities during the recent awarding of the country’s R15bn antiretroviral tender, reports the Cape...
UKZN teams help 74 patients in ‘surgical marathon’ effort
Urology specialists and trainees from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) helped treat 74 patients during a five-day surgical marathon aimed at reducing elective surgery...
Cholesterol-busting pill gets go-ahead from FDA
A new daily pill – which slashes cholesterol levels far below what can be achieved with statins, according to clinical trials, and which is also...
UK court confirms World Cup winner died from heading thousands of balls
A British coroner court ruled last week that England 1966 World Cup winner Nobby Stiles died from a brain condition caused by repeatedly heading...
Mammoth struggle to contain rapidly-spreading Ebola cases in DRC
The Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak, announced just two months ago, has already infected more than 2 120 people and caused...
6 000 Zimbabwean babies, 500 mothers, died in 2025
More than 6 100 babies died within the neonatal period in Zimbabwe last year – most from birth asphyxia – while 563 women lost...
Prison and hefty fines for fraudster US pharmacist and assistant
A pharmacy owner and his technician were sentenced last week to hefty fines and imprisonment for fraudulent medical claims, and after admitting that they...
Sanofi fires more arrows at Pfizer, Moderna in mRNA legal wars
Despite Pfizer and Moderna having resolved and tied off certain threads in their separate webs of mRNA patent litigation, they now face more legal...
Rare genetic disease causes baby’s tongue to grow to abnormal size
A four-month-old baby girl in Australia is struggling to breathe as she battles a rare genetic disorder that has caused her tongue to grow...
Union calls for jobs for doctors
Despite the critical staff shortages in the public healthcare system, at least 1 400 qualified doctors are still unemployed, according to the South African...
Another Saltzman bows out of Dis-Chem
Dis-Chem’s Saul Saltzman, son of founders Ivan and Lynette Saltzman, has resigned as a non-executive from the company’s board – after initially resigning as...
New counselling diploma to help tackle SA’s mental health crisis
Only a small number of South Africans battling with common mental health conditions like depression and anxiety actually receive professional treatment, but the South...
FDA sued for allowing unauthorised vaping products
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is being sued by a group comprising public health organisations, paediatricians and parents, who are challenging its...
Pietermartizburg state hospital forced to use private cardiologists
A chronic shortage of specialists in state facilities – and the mounting difficulties of matching private sector salaries – has led to Pietermaritzburg’s Grey’s...
Cape doctor subpoenaed by Madlanga Commission over sick note
The Cape Town-based doctor of businessman Suliman Carrim has been subpoenaed to appear before the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into alleged police capture. The...
SA company plans Ebola treatment trial, and vaccines enter human trials
Research by a South African pharmaceutical company has identified a drug that prevents the Ebola virus from replicating, with a team now planning a...
WHO review warns of global cancer surge
An annual World Health Organisation (WHO) review has said cancer is expected to touch 92% of people around the globe – through either their...
Health and Justice Departments square off over assisted dying lawsuit
The Departments of Health and Justice appear to be on opposing sides of the ring over a constitutional challenge seeking to legalise medically assisted...
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...