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News Update
Health official’s assets seized in alleged PPE fraud case
A former Health Department secretary in Mpumalanga was the subject of a Hawks raid last week, during which several luxury cars and a Sandton...
New Covid strain spreads from Asia into US
The spread of a new Covid variant – NB.1.8.1 – has been tracked in states across America after a large surge in China, although...
First blood test approved for Alzheimer’s
The first blood test for Alzheimer’s has been given the green light in the United States, paving the way for earlier treatment with newly approved...
Eastern Cape calls off hunt for whistleblower after backlash
The quest to identify the whistleblower who let the cat out of the bag about critical staff shortages at Livingstone Hospital has ended.
The Eastern Cape...
Millions set aside to fix dysfunctional hospital laundries
The Gauteng Department of Health has admitted to a “frequent breakdown of laundry machinery” but says R50m has been allocated to deal with the...
Allegations of ARV theft at Durban clinic
A former government employee from a municipal clinic in La Lucia, north of Durban, and at least one accomplice – who still works at...
NHS England rolls out ‘world-first’ gonorrhoea jab as cases rise
A vaccine for gonorrhoea is to be rolled out in England as part of a world-first programme, with officials calling it a “landmark moment for sexual...
Three medical aids fail to maintain required liquidity
The solvency rate of medical aids is down but, at 43%, is higher than the required minimum – except for three: Medihelp, Sizwe Hosmed...
Durban sounds alarm over 7 000 teen pregnancies in a year
Health officials have expressed concern over the rising number of teenage pregnancies in eThekwini, revealing that 7 627 cases were recorded between April 2024...
Brain-dead pregnant woman kept alive by US law
In a case that has reignited debate and controversy over US abortion laws, a 30-year-old woman – who has been declared brain-dead – is...
SAHPRA gives green light for emergency use mpox test
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has listed the first mpox in vitro diagnostic test kit – using the WHO PQ assessment...
Inquiry after baby lands on floor during birth
A Limpopo mother from whose pleas for help were dismissed when she went into labour, and whose baby was born and fell to the...
France votes to legalise assisted dying
Campaigners have welcomed the news that assisted dying is to be legalised in France, after the country’s Parliament voted in favour of a Bill...
China pledges $500m to WHO, bridging US gap
Beijing will replace the United States as the World Health Organisation’s top state donor, pledging $500m and expanding its influence as America retreats from...
New SA-based chief commercial officer for MPS International
Medical Protection Society (MPS), the world’s leading medical defence organisation which protects and supports the professional interests of more than 300 000 healthcare professionals,...
President seeks top court intervention over NHI Act ruling
President Cyril Ramaphosa says the High Court was wrong in its ruling that found his decision to sign the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act...
Budget trimmed, but emergency health funding likely
The Treasury’s latest iteration of the Budget, tabled by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana yesterday, reduces the provisional additional allocations to Health’s baseline announced in...
HIV testing drops after aid cuts, but Minister denies system collapse
The government has defended its progress in dealing with the US funding cuts and their crucial impact on HIV and Aids programmes in South...
Cancer treatment stalls as Eastern Cape Health fails to pay chemo bills
The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has launched an investigation into the halting of treatment for cancer patients in Eastern Cape hospitals, after...
Gauteng doctors throw down the gauntlet on overtime
Fed-up Gauteng doctors have warned they will no longer work any overtime at all if they are not paid for it, after the provincial...
Eastern Cape Health hunts whistleblower
The DA in the Eastern Cape has called for Livingstone Hospital to be placed under administration, while its over-worked staff fear repercussions as the...
Call for action after 155 children die of malnutrition this year
More accountability and urgent action have been called for after Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi admitted that so far this year, 155 children under five...
AI won’t take jobs, Netcare CEO reassures
Although Netcare will be focusing on an ambitious digitisation strategy, staff need not fear losing their jobs and being replaced by artificial intelligence, the...
Global obesity increasing, warns new Heart Report
Two in three adults over 25 could be obese or overweight by 2050, experts have warned, saying lack of access to healthy food and green spaces,...
US doctors’ concern over Biden's late cancer diagnosis
An announcement on Sunday that former US President Joe Biden (82) has aggressive incurable prostate cancer has raised concern among the medical fraternity, with...
SA man donates stem cells to patient in South America
When East London’s Bradley Peters (23) signed up with Matches on the Map, an inter-continental stem cell recruitment drive, he had no idea that he...
Warning for seniors after mosquito vaccine's adverse events, deaths
US health authorities have issued a warning to older travellers after two deaths were reported following vaccination against a mosquito-borne disease.
The preventative jab against...
FDA approves new drug for lung cancer
The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a new medication from biotech company AbbVie that treats adults with a type of lung cancer who...
SA universities help Gaza’s medical students beat the odds
Twenty-seven final-year medical students from Al-Azhar University and Islamic University in Gaza, who were displaced from their universities after they were destroyed by Israeli...
Covid cases rising in Asian countries
Covid-19 is making a quiet comeback in Asia, with fresh waves of infection being reported in several countries. In major cities like Hong Kong...
Department denies foreign nations 'favoured' at Chatsworth hospital
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Health has slammed what is describes as false and misleading comments on social media claiming that RK Khan Hospital in...
Eastern Cape GP fined R500 000 for tax evasion
Kurunalingam Chetty, a 54-year-old doctor from East London, was sentenced last Tuesday for contravening the Tax Administration Act and ordered to pay R500 000...
British mental health inquiry hears of ‘culture of fear’
A dire shortage of registered mental health nurses in England means that staff struggle to focus on therapeutic care, according to an expert witness...
WHO pandemic agreement finally adopted
WHO member states have approved a resolution calling for the adoption of a global compact – after a more than three-year process, launched by governments during...
Disease carried by African snails hits Europe
The potentially deadly disease schistosomiasis (commonly known as bilharzia), and carried by African snails, is spreading into Europe, scientists have warned.
A neglected tropical disease,...
Activists to oppose Gauteng Health's appeal on oncology ruling
SECTION27 and other health activists were disappointed that Gauteng Health had been granted leave to appeal a judgment in favour of the Cancer Alliance...
Public servants' medical aids challenge for NHI
Redirecting the medical scheme contributions of public servants to the National Health Insurance (NHI) fund will need careful management as it will require changing...
Free State emergency healthcare tenders unlawful – Tribunal
The Free State Department of Health’s awarding of multimillion-rand tenders to an emergency services company was unlawful, according to the Special Tribunal which this...
Tembisa Hospital arson suspect in court next week
A man who allegedly confessed to starting a fire that destroyed two units at Tembisa Hospital three weeks ago has implicated several accomplices, including...
Gauteng underspends budget but owes suppliers R367m
The Gauteng Department of Health still owes service providers R367m, having paid just 21% of its invoices between January and March because of “significant...