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UCT report on 'corrosive' factors around suicide of Health Sciences dean
The University of Cape Town released its report into the suicide two years ago of Health Sciences dean, Professor Bongani Mayosi, reports MedicalBrief. The...
Mkhize warns of 'exponential rise' of COVID-19 infections
South Africa's COVID-19 infection rate continues to rise rapidly approaching an expected “exponential” surge during the latter winter months of July and August...
Row over CMS suspension of black medical schemes' merger
The Council of Medical Schemes (CMS) has stepped in to halt the proposed merger of black-owned Sizwe Medical Aid and Hosmed Medical Scheme, in...
Another R145bn for COVID-19 fight in supplementary budget
Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has made R145bn available to fund the government’s Covid-19 efforts. He said that the allocations had been informed by “epidemiological modelling”,...
First trial in Africa to develop a vaccine against COVID-19
The first participants in South Africa’s first clinical trial that seeks to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 are being vaccinated this week.
The first clinical...
Survey shows that SA doctors are taking psychological strain
A third of South African doctors surveyed by MPS, the international medical defence organisation, have experienced a decline in mental wellbeing as the COVID-19...
Alleged Tshwane police assault on pulmonologist condemned
Professional societies have condemned recent incidences of allegedly unacceptable treatment of doctors and colleagues, at the hands of law enforcement, reports News24. The societies...
Health departments 'still discussing' COVID-19 deals with private hospitals
South Africa’s three largest private hospital groups, Netcare, Mediclinic and Life Healthcare, are still in discussions with provincial health departments to allow public COVID-19...
Private healthcare to take state COVID-19 patients at a financial loss
Private healthcare groups told both houses of Parliament's health committees that the rate the state will pay to take patients from the public sector...
TB/HIV increases COVID-19 risk up to three-fold
People with TB and HIV have a two to three-fold increased risk of dying of COVID-19, although this is still far less risky than...
Lifting of alcohol ban strains provincial emergency departments
Emergency departments in some provinces have come under “massive strain” strain, following the lifting of the ban on the sale and consumption of alcohol.
Gauteng...
Life Esidimeni Hospital: Nehawu 'putting staff and patients at risk'
Management of the Life Esidimeni Psychiatric Hospital in Kirkwood has accused the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) of “storming the centre”...
State sets fees it will pay private hospitals for COVID-19 patients
The Health Department has finalised the fees it will pay private hospitals for severely ill COVID-19 patients, paving the way for the provinces to...
MPs to investigate Health Sciences University appointment of VC
Parliament's Higher Education Portfolio Committee is to investigate the appointment of Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University Vice-Chancellor Professor Peter Mbati, who was allegedly appointed to...
Hospital workers increasingly affected by COVID-19
Five health care workers at Durban's King Edward VIII hospital have tested positive to the coronavirus, with two deaths in the past week in the...
COVID ward at Red Cross Children’s Hospital has seven patients
Seven children are in a dedicated COVID-19 ward at the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital in Cape Town, with more possibles awaiting test...
Private practitioners say govt is stonewalling on payments and culpability
Tensions between the SA Private Practitioner's Forum and the government are coming to a head over a dispute about payment and legal immunity when it...
Mkhize: SA faces a critical shortage of test kits and reagents
As an expected spike in COVID-19 cases looms, South African laboratories are facing a critical shortage of test kits and reagents needed to conduct...
Govt tells court tobacco ban is a matter of public health
The government has for the first time published its comprehensive case for banning the sale of tobacco products during the lockdown, saying emerging research...
SA's worst-case COVID model: no ICU beds by June, 48,000 deaths by November
After reluctance to release its modelling data in case it sparks panic, South Africa's Health Department has bowed to pressure and opened up on...
SA hospital groups pinched as elective surgeries end and occupancies plummet
Though the health-care sector is normally seen as a defensive investment and on the surface should benefit from a health crisis such as the...
Mkhize: State quarantine for all who test positive to COVID-19
In a move that seems certain to be legally tested if carried out, Health Minister Zweli Mkhize now claims everyone who has tested positive...
Govt secrecy over COVID modelling is 'to avoid panic and stigma'
The Presidency says the government's secrecy over the mathematical modelling it has based its COVID-19 policies on, is because it wants to “to avoid...
State agrees to provide reasons for tobacco ban
Government has agreed to provide the Fair-Trade Independent Tobacco Association (Fita) with reasons for maintaining the ban on cigarette and tobacco product sales under...
Lab testing delays are impeding contact tracing
COVID-19 results from the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) are taking at least a week to reach patients, while private sector tests are now...
Deaths may top 88,000 but lockdown disaster dwarfs COVID-19, say SA actuaries
If South Africa’s present economically restrictive lockdown measures are not discontinued immediately, they may cause 29 times more deaths than the measures aim to...
MPS wants 'prosecutorial restraint' over charges against SA doctors during COVID-19 crisis
While the announcement that the Health Professions Council of SA would consider complaints against doctors in the context of the "very challenging" circumstances of...
SA guidelines for triage of critically ill patients in COVID-19 pandemic
Guidelines for the triage of critically ill patients if the COVID-19 public health emergency creates demand for critical care resources (ventilators, critical care beds)...
Dis-Chem: Competition Commission is scapegoating us on price gouging
Dis-Chem, answering a case of price gouging, has accused the Competition Commission of “scapegoating” the pharmaceutical retailer to show the public that it can...
Former head of NICD says SA's COVID-19 modelling 'flawed and illogical'
The modelling of how many people would contract COVID-19 and die was “flawed and illogical and made wild assumptions”. The Financial Mail reports that...
Mkhize hints at further easing of lockdown?
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize might be hinting that the lockdown will be further eased, when he explained at a media briefing that scientific models...
'Furious' Mkhize steps in to bolster Eastern Cape's 'weak' efforts to fight COVID-19
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has been forced to take dramatic steps to bolster Nelson Mandela Bay's fight against COVID-19, after it emerged in a...
GEMS expects to spend around R900m on beneficiaries with COVID-19
The Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) actuaries estimates that it will spend around R900m for the care and treatment of GEMS beneficiaries who will...
Mkhize gets sweeping powers to redeploy doctors, nurses and health personnel
Health minister Zweli Mhize has published new regulations that give the government sweeping powers to redeploy doctors, nurses and other health-care personnel to combat...
Traditional leaders reject SA govt ban on winter circumcision season
The SA government has banned traditional circumcision for the upcoming winter season, raising the ire of traditional leaders, reports Times Select.
The Department of Co-operative...
Red tape prevents foreign-trained medics joining SA's COVID-19 fight
More than 450 foreign-trained medical professionals say red tape is preventing them joining South Africa's coronavirus fight. The Times reports that writing in the...
12 staff test positive at third COVID-infected private hospital
Following last week's shut down of Netcare's St Augustine's Hospital in Durban because of a COVID-19 outbreak that claimed five lives and this week's...
'Disingenuous' Limpopo Health MEC releases forcibly quarantined doctors
Two doctors forcibly quarantine in a Limpopo hospital after testing positive for COVD-19 have been freed, but may pursue legal action against the provincial...
HPCSA slow to respond to urgent need to mobilise extra healthcare personnel
SA's medical regulator, which for weeks delayed the move to telemedicine to deal with COVID-19, has been slow to mobilise the skills of the...
SA has less than half the ventilators it will need, says Health Department
South Africa has less than half the ventilators that the health department estimates it will be needed to treat patients at the peak of...