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News Update
Naked US doctor has licence revoked
A doctor in Arkansas suspected of having a sexual compulsive disorder has had his licence revoked a year after video footage captured him walking...
Calls for probe into cystic fibrosis drugmaker to be reopened
Health lobbyists are demanding that the Competition Commission reopen its investigation into the manufacturers of Trikafta, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, which is expected to...
Arrests as anti-migrant thugs ratchet up their campaign
Police have made several arrests of militant anti-migrant group members recently, but seemingly with little effect as the organisations continue to terrorise foreigners seeking...
Life-changing surgery for KZN boy with rare tumours
A KZN boy has had his life transformed by a specialist medical team from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which recently performed complex surgery to...
Healthcare staff under siege from crime
Public healthcare workers are living in fear as criminals wage a war of robbery and assault on them, with attacks escalating – and even...
Safety alert for faulty defibrillation leads tied to injuries, deaths
Boston Scientific has issued a letter to customers warning that certain ENDOTAK RELIANCE defibrillation leads with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) coated coils may impact shock...
US health experts unite to clamour for Kennedy's removal
A report detailing major health challenges in the United States – and calling for the removal of Robert F Kennedy Jr from the Department...
Patients say clinic nurses force them to have HIV tests
Residents in at least three provinces say they have been coerced into undergoing HIV testing at various government health facilities, and that in some...
Watchdog orders J&J to drop ‘number 1’ nasal spray claim
The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) has ordered Johnson & Johnson to remove or amend claims from its commercial that its Sinutab product are the...
Doctor crowdfunds R2m after cancer diagnosis
A doctor from the Eastern Cape – who was diagnosed with not just a brain tumour but also skin cancer – raised an extraordinary...
Mthatha EMS crew forced to sleep in Khayelitsha shack
Two Eastern Cape EMS drivers recently transporting a child from Mthatha had to spend two nights in an informal settlement in Khayelitsha, Cape Town,...
Woman awakens from coma moments before organ donation surgery
The scarcity of available organs for transplant in the United States – and the increasing need for more – is putting a growing number...
Experts push for harm reduction policies
Harm reduction – in multiple forms, from safer smoking alternatives to sunscreens to wearing seatbelts – was high on the agenda at a recent...
Donated generators ‘lying idle’ at Durban Hospital
Hundreds of low-voltage diesel generators donated by China are apparently being stored unused at Wentworth Hospital in KwaZulu-Natal, pending distribution to provinces – but...
Fire-damaged Free State hospital wards back in service
The National District Hospital in the Free State re-opened wards and sections of the Bloemfontein facility that had been gutted by a fire in...
Mpox testing project launched in Africa as cases rise
With mpox infections continuing to rise on the continent, the Africa CDC and the European Commission have launched the Partnership to Accelerate Mpox Testing and...
Rwanda rethinks malaria jabs amid surge in cases
Rwanda is confronting an unexpected resurgence in malaria infections and signs of treatment resistance that have forced alarmed officials to revisit vaccine intervention the...
State can be sued for failing foreign nationals, lawyers group says
Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) has warned that the government can be taken to court if it fails to intervene in the public health...
Gauteng medical student accused of preying on boys
A 25-year-old medical student and maths tutor – charged with raping and sexually assaulting six boys – was denied bail after his appearance in the...
Stellenbosch University confirms student’s meningitis death
Stellenbosch University has confirmed that Chris Scheffers (19), a second-year theology student whose body was discovered in his residence on the weekend, died from...
IDT boss suspended over R836m tender debacle
The Department of Health is to re-tender the controversial oxygen plant contract – this after the suspension last week of Independent Development Trust (IDT)...
SA pharmacists help send medicines to Gaza, war-torn countries
South African pharmacists have joined an international humanitarian effort to deliver life-saving medicines to Gaza and parts of Africa affected by crisis and displacement,...
Gauteng targets 4m children for measles jabs
The Gauteng Department of Health is stepping up efforts to fight the ongoing measles outbreak with the launch this week of a Measles-Rubella (MR)...
Nurses plead for their mental health, wellness support
Burnout, fatigue and lack of support have become silent threats to South Africa’s nursing workforce within hospitals, clinics and military facilities, with healthcare leaders...
Health taxes under-utilised in Africa – UCT report
Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, sugary drinks and ultra-processed food offer a way to raise finances while reducing consumption, and yet are not being used...
Kennedy cancels $500m mRNA vaccine contracts
In a decision which has dismayed scientists, US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has cancelled nearly $500m of grants and contracts for developing...
China imposes quarantine as chikungunya infections climb
Chinese officials have imposed Covid-like quarantines in parts of the country as cases of chikungunya virus continue to surge, reports Daily Mail.
More than 7...
UK flags continuing epilepsy drug prescriptions despite risks
The Chief Safety Officer at the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has echoed concerns about persistent sodium valproate prescribing for pregnant women.
Britain’s...
Trump demands drug companies slash prices in 60 days
President Donald Trump has given an ultimatum to Big Pharma to reduce its exorbitant prices, posting letters to more than a dozen major drug...
Cape Town hospital converted to multi-million-rand apartments
A well-known Cape Town hospital will be converted into a luxury residential and hotel development, with apartments priced as high as R23.3m, reports BusinessTech.
The...
Poor record-keeping adds to Eastern Cape medico-legal cases
A major driver of successful medical negligence cases against the Eastern Cape Health Department is its poor record-keeping, making it impossible for it to...
Family of US boy (10) sues psychiatric hospital after sexual assault
The family of a young boy allegedly sexually assaulted at a residential psychiatric facility in the Pittsburgh area has demanded accountability from the Southwood...
Nigerian nurses end week-long strike after government agrees to deal
Nurses in Nigeria’s public hospitals suspended a seven-day “warning strike” on Saturday after reaching an agreement with the government over the implementation of their...
Heads to roll after mental patients froze to death in Northern Cape hospitals
An investigation into the treatment, complications and deaths of psychiatric patients at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital (NCMHH) and the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe...
Health Budget: new hospitals, upgrades and millions for HIV projects
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said a new central hospital is under construction, that there are also plans to develop another three academic hospitals...
KZN Health MEC demands probe into corruption claims
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane has called for Premier Thami Ntuli to investigate the allegations of corruption levelled against her, making the remarks...
Rehab centre manager arrested after patient beaten to death
The owner of a rehabilitation centre in Limpopo has been arrested after the death of a 29-year-old man, who endured severe beatings during the...
Companies linked to Mashatile's sons scoop R49m Gauteng hospital tender
Two companies with links to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s sons were paid R36.4m – and are owed a further R12.6m – for a Gauteng...
Forensic report exposes extent of state hospital oxygen tender fraud
The breathtaking scale of the fraud involved in a mega-million-rand project to install oxygen generation plant at dozens of government hospitals has been revealed...
SA would-be paramedics arrested in Ukraine
Two South Africans who thought they were to be trained as medical orderlies in the Ukraine have instead been arrested for desertion, after being...