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News Update
No health qualifications for SA’s nine MECs
The appointments for the country’s nine Health MECs include five new ones while four have been reappointed, reports Spotlight – and with none of...
Eastern Cape hospital crisis worsens as supplies of needles, oxygen, dry up
Tertiary hospitals in the Eastern Cape are facing yet another medical crisis, having run out of syringe needles while battling a dire lack of...
Small hospital groups get further competition rules reprieve
Smaller private hospital groups have been granted another five-year exemption from certain competition regulations by the Department of Trade, Industry & Competition (DTIC) in...
Gauteng Health MEC’s return greeted with mixed reactions
There are multiple challenges ahead – again – for Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko, who has been reappointed as Gauteng’s MEC for Health & Wellness, and who,...
CVD among top three causes of death in SA
Cardiovascular or heart-related diseases have raced to the top three causes of death in the past two decades, say South African life assurers, who...
Discovery sanctioned, again, for misleading advertising
The Advertising Regulatory Board has ordered Discovery to remove or amend advertising material for its severe illness benefit provided by its life insurance business,...
Vital for SA’s HIV+ babies to be tested, as infections rise
The SA National Aids Council (Sanac) has reiterated the importance of at least 95% of children infected with HIV being tested and “linked to...
Kidnapped Gqeberha doctor rescued
A man arrested for allegedly kidnapping a Gqeberha doctor from his surgery earlier this month appeared in the KwaZakhele Magistrate’s Court on Monday, where...
South African workers overly stressed, global poll finds
A recent report by Gallup reveals South African employees are suffering from extremely high stress levels, with 36% of the workforce experiencing excessive stress daily, and...
South African nurses lured to well-paying Canada
Nurses from South Africa – which already has a chronic shortage of them – are among the thousands of local medical professionals being lured...
‘Hate speech’ criminal complaint laid against new Minister
Threats to “switch off foreign nationals’ oxygen machines in hospital” have led to charges of hate speech against SA’s new Sports, Arts & Culture...
Philips issues urgent update for ventilator use
Philips Respironics has issued updated instructions for its OmniLab Advanced+ (OLA+) Ventilator because of a demonstrated failure in the inoperative alarm that can cause...
Second person to receive transplanted pig kidney dies
American patient Lisa Pisano, who received a pig kidney transplant along with an implanted device to keep her heart beating, died this week, her...
Taxpayers fear migrating doctors, worse care, with NHI
An overwhelming majority of taxpayers believe the NHI will have a negative impact in South Africa, and trigger an exodus of doctors as well...
No injuries in Bloemfontein hospital fire
No one was hurt in the fire that broke out at Bloemfontein’s National District Hospital on Sunday, said provincial health authorities.
The blaze started outside...
Hospital patient jumps to her death
A Gqeberha woman died after leaping from the third storey of Livingstone Hospital on Monday afternoon.
Belinda Lock (65) was unresponsive after hitting the ground,...
Fake therapist fooled hundreds online until she died
Hundreds of Americans may have unknowingly received therapy from an untrained impostor who masqueraded as an online therapist, possibly for as long as two...
Approval at last for Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug
After decades of trying to develop a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease, and several hiccups along the way, Eli Lilly has finally won FDA approval...
Tembisa Hospital CEO ‘irregularly appointed’, Public Protecter finds
The Public Protector has found that Gauteng Health Department (GDoH) officials acted irregularly during the recruitment and selection process of the late Ashley Mthunzi...
New Free State Premier rebukes staff in surprise hospital visit
Newly elected Free State Premier MaQueen Letsoha-Mathae, who unexpectedly dropped in at local hospitals last week to inspect conditions and address grievances from patients, was...
Clicks to sell Unicorn after court ruling
The Clicks Group will sell Unicorn Pharmaceuticals, it said on Monday, clearing the way for the Health Ministry to issue the company with licences...
New Eastern Cape Health MEC vows to fix distressed hospitals
East London’s Frere Hospital has a drastic shortage not just of 18 midwives and nurses but also of beds in its maternity section, which...
More than 800 interns placed by Health Department
The Department of Health has finally placed almost 900 medical interns on the mid-year cycle after they were unable to be allocated space during...
Discovery gap cover maternity ad ‘misleading’, says regulator
Discovery must withdraw an ad offering maternity benefits on gap cover, described by the Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) as “misleading” because it did not...
WHO suggests therapeutic HPV jabs to scale up vaccination
While a vaccine already exists to prevent human papillomavirus (HPV), the main cause of cervical cancer, more than 20 therapeutic HPV vaccine candidates are...
CDC updates age criteria for RSV jabs
The US Centres for Disease Control & Prevention has narrowed its recommendation for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccines in older adults this year –...
Pandemic treaty talks extended for a year
Talks to finalise a global pandemic agreement have been extended, with the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) picking up discussions again from 16 July at...
Isle pharmacies get go-ahead to supply medicinal cannabis
The self-governing Isle of Man is to expand its medicinal cannabis dispensing service to more pharmacies after a trial last year “built confidence in...
Gay men in US can finally give blood
Despite being a volunteer with the American Red Cross for a decade, it wasn’t until last year that Ralph Galvan, as a gay man, was...
Lauren Dickason gets 18 years for daughters’ murders
Pretoria expat and former doctor Lauren Dickason was handed a sentence of 18 years for the murder of her three daughters, with the High...
SA’s insulin pens supply dries up as weight-loss drugs take priority
South Africa has run out of the human insulin pens for people with diabetes as the global pharmaceutical industry shifts production priorities to blockbuster...
Recall of HPCSA president not enough, says union
The Medical and Dental Professions Board (MDPB) has reportedly recalled Simon Nemutandani, president of the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) – meaning he is...
Key health service units targeted by hackers
Despite an attempted ransomware attack on the the internal and external IT systems of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) this weekend, all patient...
HPV one-dose jab campaign to now include private schools
The Department of Health has announced that it is moving from a two-dose to a single-dose HPV (human papilloma virus) vaccine regimen and that...
Failed foreign-trained doctors challenge exam results
A group of around 250 junior foreign-trained doctors – 70% of whom failed their board exams – say they have found discrepancies in their...
New antibiotics vital to combat AMR – WHO
The WHO has reiterated the urgent need for new antibiotics, saying the number of antibacterial agents in preclinical and clinical development worldwide increased from...
Local drugmakers must move to top of registration queue – SAHPRA
In a plan that would have significant implications for the local pharmaceutical industry, the SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) wants to initiate a...
WHO warning on fake diabetes, weight loss drugs
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued a medical product alert on fake semaglutides – used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity –...
Millionaire patient leaves Sydney GP most of his fortune
An Australian doctor has become millions of dollars richer after being written into the will of a patient as the main beneficiary, despite the...
Nurse accused of murder had paid towards funeral
An Alberton nurse and her gardener have appeared in court charged with murder and fraud linked to a R6m insurance payout after the death...