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News Update
WHO calls for higher taxes on sugary drinks and alcohol
Low taxes, which are not in line with inflation, are ineffective in reducing alcohol or sugary drink consumption, the World Health Organisation has warned, urging...
World short of one million midwives, warns global report
Africa has only 40% of the midwives it needs, while globally, there’s a massive shortage of nearly 1m midwives, leaving pregnant women without the...
NHS under fire for guidance over benefits of marrying first cousins
The NHS has withdrawn earlier official training material given to British midwives that suggested there could be “potential benefits” to marriage between first cousins...
US to probe health links from cellphone radiation
A study on cellphone radiation will be undertaken by the US Department of Health and Human Services, building on Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s...
Pig kidney kept door open for human organ
One of the first recipients in the world of a genetically modified pig kidney has become the first in that small group of pioneers...
SAHPRA alert on paediatric supplements
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has issued a health warning to parents about children’s supplements containing zinc picolinate and seleniumn –...
KZN Health reverses pharmacy intern freeze after outcry
The financially-stricken KwaZulu-Natal Health Department has done an about-turn on its controversial decision to freeze pharmacy internship posts – announced this past weekend –...
Minister vows talks with GEMS over tariffs hike
The latest hikes by the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) have come under fire from Public Service & Administration Minister Mzamo Buthelezi, who told...
KZN barges ahead with untested circumcision device
KwaZulu-Natal Health has procured 96 000 CircumQ circumcision devices through a controversial tender currently being challenged in court by CircumQ’s competitor, Unicirc, which alleges...
Durban hospital saluted for heart care in cancer treatment
A pioneering South African centre is being celebrated internationally for its dual roles of treating cancer while protecting heart health, with the team at...
Public Works severs dodgy hospital lease tied to Matlala
An internal investigation is being launched after the cancellation of a lease agreement between the Department of Public Works & Infrastructure and Medicare 24...
Three-hour wait for ambulances in rural KZN emergencies
Rural dwellers in the villages around Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, say they have to wait hours for ambulances, because the vehicles have to travel more than...
FDA asks drugmakers to remove suicide warnings from GLP-1 labels
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has asked Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to remove warnings about suicidal ideation or behaviour from the...
‘Stuffy nose’ nasal spray warning in UK
Britain’s Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) has issued a warning to the public about using nasal sprays for blocked noses beyond a week, reminding users...
US medical groups ask court to block vaccine changes
Six medical organisations in the US plan to ask the courts to throw out revisions to the childhood vaccination schedule recently announced by Health...
Washington launches billion-dollar health pacts in Africa – with provisos
The United States is reshaping development policy again with 14 bilateral pacts with African states so far setting out the parameters for aid in...
US court allows Covid jab lawsuit to continue
A US federal court has denied the government’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit challenging changes to Covid-19 vaccine recommendations, and the case will now...
Bayer sues Covid jab makers over mRNA technology
Monsanto sued Covid-19 vaccine makers Pfizer, BioNTech and Moderna in Delaware federal court on Tuesday for allegedly misusing its messenger RNA technology in manufacturing their vaccines,...
Pepfar fund debacle should be wake-up call, say MPs
Opposition parties say the government should do more to hire unemployed medical graduates to improve healthcare services and prevent any reduction in HIV/Aids testing,...
Google removes AI health summaries
A number of artificial intelligence-generated health summaries have been deleted by Google after an international investigation found these could potentially harm readers because of...
Discovery seeks repayment after overpaying members’ claims
A processing error has led to Discovery Health members being asked to repay money after their claims were incorrectly paid out at a higher...
SIU probes vaccine research contracts
Four vaccine research procurement contracts will come under the SIU’s microscope as it investigates serious maladministration and improper conduct allegations in government departments, a...
Medicine shortage fears after Limpopo Health outsourcing
Limpopo Health staff have warned of a potential system collapse after the department outsourced the provincial pharmaceutical depot, saying that failures by the newly...
Support grows for UN health envoy as inquiry deadline looms
The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) will decide by the end of January on whether to proceed with a full inquiry into South...
Fraud-accused ex-health boss loses 'privileged testimony' suit
A former North West Health Department HoD, Dr Andrew Lekalakala – arrested in 2019 and charged with fraud and corruption – has been unsuccessful...
Hidden market fuels fake script industry
The illegal prescription business is flourishing in South Africa, posing increasing public health and economic risks, warn experts, who urge greater effort to combat...
Nestlé removes infant formula from SA and other countries over toxin risk
Swiss giant Nestlé is recalling some batches of its infant nutrition products, including SMA, BEBA and NAN formulas, in 25 countries due to possible contamination...
FDA green-lights Wegovy weight-loss pill
The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first oral glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist for weight loss and to reduce the...
Aspen cuts debt with R26.51bn deal
South Africa’s largest pharmaceutical producer, Aspen Pharmacare, has announced it will sell its Australia, New Zealand and Asia Pacific assets, excluding China, to Australian...
Weedkiller concerns renewed after landmark study retracted
Concerns over a 25-year-old landmark paper on the safety of weedkiller Roundup’s active ingredient, glyphosate, have led to calls for the US Environmental Protection...
Outcry after US childhood vaccine changes
In a radical shift in child immunisation policy, US federal officials this week announced unprecedented changes to its childhood vaccine schedule, sparking widespread condemnation...
CDC ends decades-long hepatitis jab policy
Experts have expressed concern about the Centres for Disease Control's (CDC) decision to end the recommendation that all newborns should receive the hepatitis shot,...
Western Cape surgery backlog climbs to 100 000
Almost 100 000 patients are awaiting surgery in the Western Cape – more than 5 000 at Groote Schuur Hospital alone – thanks to...
Gauteng 'crisis' warning as specialists resign from hospitals
A rash of resignations from public hospitals in Gauteng should have set off alarm bells within the Department of Health – but it denies...
Medscheme launches urgent bid to pause Bonitas move
Medscheme, which administers medical aid schemes including for Bonitas Medical Fund, has brought an urgent High Court application to suspend or terminate certain requests...
Patient racially abused Mediclinic ER nurse, rules judge
A patient who was apparently unhappy that he had to wait before being assisted for an injury at a Mediclinic in Cape Town last...
Discovery digs in its heels over cancer treatment for canoe champ
An ongoing struggle with Discovery Health – relating to its stance on covering some of his cancer treatment costs – is frustrating Oscar Chalupsky...
Nurse attacked by patient’s relative fails in R10m claim
A nurse who waited eight years before launching a R10m damages claim against the Minister of Health – for having been assaulted by a...
Premium hike slammed by GEMS members
The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) has defended the 9.8% contribution premium hike for its 2m members for next year, telling outraged unions that...
Now US shifts focus to RSV shots despite safety, efficacy data
RSV vaccines, which have drastically lowered infant hospitalisations, have come under review by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) despite no previously published reports...