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Public Health
Intern doctor's death sparks outcry over public health working conditions
The death of a young intern doctor at a state hospital has brought into focus the physical and mental toll on junior medical staff...
EU regulator adds suicide warning for hair loss, prostate treatments
The European Union’s drug regulator has warned that a medication to treat men’s hair loss has a rare risk of suicidal thoughts, and although...
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...
Call for action on booming fake drugs trade in SA
Counterfeit pharmaceutical product sales from online platforms and vendors are skyrocketing in South Africa, according to a newly-released independent report, which has called for...
NIH grant funds first comprehensive syphilis test
With global syphilis cases on the rise, the news of a $2.7m research grant towards the development of a one-stop diagnostic test has been...
Human health already under climate change pressure
We all need to urgently recognise that climate change is not merely a distant socioeconomic issue – that it is a current, unfolding health...
Overtime non-payment for doctors sparks outrage in Gauteng
Health Department blunders left Gauteng doctors without overtime pay in the past month, sparking an outcry and adding to uncertainty and growing concern over...
SA’s health burden rises as ageing HIV+ population doubles
Experts are raising the alarm yet again – and more so in the wake of the US funding cuts – regarding the alarming numbers...
Durban clinic denies sex worker ARVs
A Durban sex worker was refused ARVs by a clinic at Addington Hospital and told to “go and work” so that she could buy...
Patient’s Groote Schuur ordeal prompts departmental probe
Western Cape Health has launched an inquiry into Groote Schuur Hospital (GSH) after accusations of negligence and emotional abuse by a patient transferred there...
Daily plastic exposure linked to heart disease deaths – US study
A recent analysis of population surveys shows that daily exposure to certain chemicals used to make common plastic household items could be linked to...
Deadly effects of marijuana on the foetus – US meta-analysis
Using marijuana during pregnancy has been linked to poor foetal development, low infant birth weight, dangerously early deliveries and even death, according to a...
Patients suffer as hospitals battle bed shortages, power and water cuts
Dire conditions at several state hospitals came under the spotlight this week with reports of heavily pregnant women being made to sleep on the...
Hospital staff under fire for outdoor cooking during outage
KZN Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has called for disciplinary action against staff at Pietermaritzburg’s Northdale Hospital after a video of them cooking over a...
Measles adds to Ugandan mpox crisis as death toll passes 5 400
The cumulative number of confirmed mpox cases in Uganda has hit 5 431, with 40 deaths reported since the outbreak was declared nine months...
Limpopo doctor accused of attempted rape of patient
The Limpopo Health Department is investigating – in tandem with a police inquiry – after a doctor allegedly attempted to rape a patient at George...
Europe failing in fight against HIV, TB and STIs
Regional health authorities have warned that many countries in Europe will miss a target to combat HIV, TB, hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs)...
Antibiotic resistance risking SA’s newborns’ lives
Experts say bacterial infections are responsible for more infant deaths than is generally recognised, and that things may get worse as more of the...
SAMRC study finds HIV death stats worse than thought
It is widely acknowledged among health and demographic experts that relying solely on what is written on death certificates is not always an accurate...
Possible arson to be probed in Tembisa hospital fires
The Gauteng Government and national MPs have not ruled out arson as a possible reason for the fires at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital, which...
With twice-yearly PrEP jab, is an HIV vaccine still vital?
The discovery of a highly efficacious option for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that requires only twice-yearly administration has led to the question of whether...
Hospital sued for refusing liver transplant for Zimbabwean child
An urgent High Court application due to be heard in Johannesburg soon may be too late to save the life of desperately ill Vanessa...
Two fires in three days at Tembisa Hospital
Fire disrupted services at Tembisa Provincial Tertiary Hospital on Wednesday after flames engulfed the Outpatient Department (OPD) – next to the Accident and Emergency...
Moderna gets $176m to develop pandemic flu jab
The US has announced it will pay Moderna $176m to accelerate development of a pandemic influenza vaccine that could treat bird flu in people,...
CT scan cancer risk warning – US study
A group of American physicians has warned that CT scans commonly taken to help detect injury and disease may be accompanied by an alarming...
New diabetes form recognised after decades of debate
A new type of diabetes that’s linked not to obesity but to malnutrition has been officially recognised, decades after first being observed in developing...
Another 150 000 HIV infections possible by 2028 from aid cuts
A modelling study commissioned by the National Department of Health into the impact of the Pepfar funding cuts has revealed that this could result...
Health Department plans six new academic hospitals for SA
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says the public health sector will be boosted, in anticipation of the NHI roll-out, with new clinics and half a...
Drug-resistant infections killed 3m children worldwide
A landmark study presented this week at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) in Vienna has revealed that more than...
Groote Schuur emergency trauma project kicks off for Easter weekend
The Groote Schuur Hospital Emergency Funds for Emergency Surgeries project – which has raised more than half a million rands, and which was launched...
Exorbitant security costs for Gauteng Health flagged
The DA in Gauteng has called for a review of ballooning hospital security costs, with MPL Jack Bloom saying the exorbitant amounts could rather...
UTI drug offers hope as new gonorrhoea treatment – global study
A new type of antibiotic to treat urinary tract infections could also work against gonorrhoea infections, a study has suggested, possibly launching the medication...
Motsoaledi's R2bn boost for healthcare staffing … but not enough for nurses
There was good news from the Health Minister this week with the announcement that more than R2bn has been allocated for the hiring of...
New tests could help ID dementia in older Africans – SA research
International researchers – with the assistance of Wits University and University of Cape Town scientists – have introduced two improved tests that could precisely...
Gauteng Health appeals 'cancer backlog' court order
The Gauteng Department of Health has applied for leave to appeal an order – issued by the Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg) recently – compelling it...
Warning as new mpox variant spreads
Local infectious disease experts have warned people to be more vigilant regarding the new highly infectious mpox variant, Clade 1b, which has been reported...
Victorian diseases on the rise in Britain, warn doctors
Doctors in England have raised concerns over a rise in Victorian diseases, such as scabies, and growing health inequalities caused by poor-quality housing, air pollution and access to transport.
A...
Medical union threatens legal action and protests over overtime cuts
The South African Medical Association Trade Union (Samatu) is considering legal action to interdict the Gauteng Department of Health's (GDoH) proposed cut in doctors’...
Court orders urgent action to address Gauteng cancer treatment backlog
The unacceptable, unlawful delay in providing treatment to Gauteng cancer patients, which has resulted in some of them dying, has been slammed by the...
Bara opens R26m children’s burns unit
The NPO Surgeons for Little Lives unveiled a state-of-the-art children’s burns unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital last week, with staff saying not even...