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Policy and Law
Anti-vaxxers failed in bid to stop Covid vaccinations
An application by three non-profit companies to halt the government’s distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine was slammed as “manifestly unfair”, fatally defective, and dismissed...
France first to make abortion a constitutional right
In a groundbreaking decision, France has enshrined the right to abortion in its Constitution, a world first welcomed by women’s rights groups as historic...
UK to ban disposable vapes
The British Government is moving to ban disposable vapes as part of plans to tackle the rising number of young people adopting the habit,...
Canada to legalise assisted suicide for mental illness
A new law due to take effect in March has divided citizens of Canada, which already has one of the most liberal assisted death...
Childhood jabs at risk as medical and religious freedom wins ground
Medical and religious freedom lobbying – bouyed by successes in overturning coronavirus vaccine mandates in some areas – has led to an increasing number...
Act on patent laws to protect SA scientists' work
Critical work done by South African scientists on mRNA vaccines for several diseases is at risk from patent claims from pharmaceutical giant Moderna, yet...
Legal first as UK tribunal hears 'menopause discrimination' case
A British woman – who was allegedly discriminated against because she suffered menopause symptoms – will appear before an an employment tribunal this week...
Drug court case will determine fate of CF sufferers in SA
Earlier this year, in a landmark case for access to affordable medicines in South Africa, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) and Doctors Without Borders...
Kenyan ruling on Covid-19 mandatory quarantine challenge
Many Kenyans had been eagerly awaiting a High Court judgment in a case testing the constitutionality of the government’s Covid-19 mandatory quarantine regime.
They felt...
Nurses dress code – justified differentiation or unlawful discrimination?
There has been much talk about recent amendments to nursing dress codes, after the National Department of Health circulated an amended dress code that...
How does POPIA impact on health research?
SA already has a well-established system for regulating health research on human subjects, but with stricter data protection regulations since the Protection of Personal...
SA’s HIV testing formula to change
For years, South Africa has used HIV Rapid Diagnostic Tests (finger prick – same-day testing), but the National Department of Health has now decided...
Cannabis Bill objections at Parliament public hearing
Dagga Party founder Jeremy Acton says the Cannabis for Private Purposes Bill, which was tabled nearly three years ago, has a “clear intent of...
New mental health policy welcomed, but long overdue, say experts
The long-awaited new National Mental Health Policy Framework and Strategic Plan 2023-2030 took centre stage recently at the two-day SA Mental Health Conference in Johannesburg,...
Australia bans ‘public health threat’ vapes
Recreational vaping will be banned in Australia as part of a major crackdown amid what experts say is an “epidemic”, and what the government...
France plans assisted suicide law change
France’s end-of-life laws are to be changed, with the green light being given to assisted suicide or euthanasia, President Emmanuel Macron has announced, with,...
Impact of gun violence on SA’s healthcare system
More murders were reported in South Africa in the first quarter of 2022 than in six months of armed conflict in Ukraine, and globally,...
Scotland bans harmful anaesthetic over global warming impact
Scotland has become the first country in the world to stop its hospitals using the anaesthetic desflurane because of the threat it poses to...
Global health regulations amended for future pandemics
After five days of discussions last week on how to amend the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) International Health Regulations (IHR) to make them more able...
Spain first EU country to pass menstrual leave law
Spain has passed into law a menstrual leave policy allowing women with especially painful periods to take paid leave, part of a broader package...
US state proposes prisoner organ donor programme
A new Bill proposes that prisoners in the US state of Massachusetts could get at least two months off their sentences in exchange for...
Philippines bans e-cigarettes, threatens arrest for users
The Philippines recently announced a ban on the use and sale of e-cigarettes and vapes, and a warning to arrest users on sight –...
Time for humane, radical rethink on drug policy in South Africa
About 275m people, globally, have used drugs, up by 22% from 2010, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in 2021, and...
Bill to control vaping introduced to National Assembly
Parliament has announced the introduction of the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill (B33-2022) to the National Assembly.
The Bill seeks to further...
Florida bans youth gender-affirming meds and surgery
Florida has become the first American state to limit care for trans youth through medical board action, with the approval last week of a...
US states crack down on toxic ‘forever chemicals’
“Forever chemicals”, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (known as PFAS), are so widespread that they have been found in the blood of 97% of...
Medical practitioners' duties to safeguard patients' information in terms of POPI
Medical practitioners now have increased legal duties when processing patients’ personal information, both within their practice and between practitioners, writes Thabiso Mthiyane from MacRobert...
Activists urge state to expedite cancer policy
The government has been urged to provide legislative and policy certainty to ensure cancer patients have access to the healthcare they need, with activists...
Germany plans to legalise cannabis for recreational use
Germany wants to make it legal for adults to purchase and own up to 30g of cannabis for recreational use and to privately grow...
England's pharmacists allowed to prescribe antibiotics without GP approval
From next year, pharmacists in England will be able to prescribe antibiotics to customers without seeing their GPs or without their approval, but the...
UK MPs urge cap on patient numbers as overloaded GPs burn out
In a major report on the future of GPs, the UK’s Health and Social Care Committee has strongly urged a cap on surgery sizes,...
NHS drafts new guidelines for treating transgender youth
New guidelines for treating transgender youngsters have been drafted by England’s National Health Service (NHS), calling for tighter, more stringent controls of the treatment...
Zero-tolerance drink-driving policy clause rejected by lawmakers
The Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport has rejected a clause that would have revised a section of the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill dealing...
Big Tobacco’s transition: better late than never
Tobacco companies have pivoted from producing combustible products, (which kill 8m people annually), to non-combustibles, which pose a fraction of the health risk, but...
ConCourt protects the right of children to use and possess dagga
The Constitutional Court has ratified a High Court order declaring sections of the Drugs & Drug Trafficking Act as unconstitutional because it criminalises the...
SA Tobacco Bill approved by Cabinet
The Cabinet has approved the Tobacco Products and Electronic Delivery Systems Control Bill for submission to Parliament, a vital step in plans to further...
‘Vape tax’ could double prices and result in illicit market boom
The Vapour Products Association has called on businesses to oppose the government’s proposed excise duty and for Treasury to conduct further market research, saying...
New Hungary law forces women to listen to ‘foetal heartbeat’ before abortion
A new decree by Hungary’s right-wing government forcing women seeking an abortion to first listen to the foetal heartbeat before undergoing the procedure has...
Vaping industry exploits SA’s policy gap, enticing more to young people to smoke
Cigarette alternatives, like vaping, are doing the opposite of what they’re supposed to do: instead of weaning existing smokers off tobacco, they are actually...
New Zealand plans world-first tobacco laws for smoke-free generation
Proposed laws, that include a rising purchasing age for cigarettes, have drawn praise and concern over their untested nature, as New Zealand legislators vow...