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Diabetes dashboard a step forward for SA
The establishment of South Africa’s national diabetes dashboard signals a major step forward in tackling one of the country’s leading causes of death, writes...
SA, UK scientists collaborate in global fungal research
A major funding injection of £4.5m from the Wellcome Trust will boost a collaborative effort between South African and British scientists to fast track...
Why every South African needs a digital health wallet
All South Africans, whether on the public or private healthcare system, should carry a digital health wallet with their full medical/health records on their...
First global gene therapy trial for type 1 diabetes to start this year
The first-ever clinical trial of an adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy for type 1 diabetes (T1D) will begin this year, aiming to promote insulin...
Data investment key to effective delivery of NHI
Investing in data is arguably the most cost-effective investment South Africa can make to ensure that the NHI delivers equitable, efficient and sustainable healthcare,...
Handheld device from Pretoria scientists could change TB screening
University of Pretoria researchers have designed a small but powerful handheld device that may redefine the TB screening process and ultimately help to combat...
Local engineer launches affordable, effective prosthetic knee
A young South African engineer, who has designed what she says is the country’s first affordable prosthetic knee, says there is a massive gap...
China approves world’s first brain implant for commercialisation
China has approved its first brain implant designed to help people with paralysis regain some movement in their hands – the world’s first commercial...
National Health Lab Service IT system down – again
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), which provides laboratory services to every single public sector health provider countrywide, reported a major disruption to its...
Recalled glucose monitor linked to seven deaths
A manufacturing problem in millions of Abbott glucose sensors has been tied to at least seven deaths and hundreds of injuries worldwide, reports NBC...
Newborns with hearing loss diagnosed too late in South Africa, say experts
Despite the proven benefits of newborn hearing screening and early intervention, universal screening is not yet mandated in South Africa and is only available...
Breakthrough sickle cell gene therapy a distant hope in Africa
As Uganda rolls out mandatory nationwide screening of newborns for sickle cell disease, a gene therapy celebrated in the United States and Europe remains...
Telesurgery successful from 2 000km away – Chinese study
Research by Chinese scientists has revealed what could be a lifesaver for under-resourced rural facilities or for people in disaster or war zones, with...
'Mindblowing' progress with Neuralink brain chip
One of the first people in Britain to use Elon Musk’s brain chip believes it could transform the lives of those with severe paralysis,...
Lancet Labs fined for data breach
Numerous high-profile data breaches, leaks and other security incidents had been reported in South Africa in the past year, among them Lancet Laboratories, which...
AI steps in to detect TB
Many low- and middle-income countries are now using AI to screen for tuberculosis, saving hundreds of lives in regions where doctors and other technology...
Man’s face rebuilt with 3D-print technology
After a horrific cycling accident that obliterated half his face, a British man looks whole again, thanks to a remarkably realistic prosthetic “panel” that...
Sleep trackers could be disrupting your shut-eye – SA experts
The fitness watch that’s supposed to be monitoring your sleep could be the exact thing that’s keeping you up at night, say experts, who...
Pioneering light therapy may kill cancer cells in 30 minutes – Texas study
American scientists have suggested that a groundbreaking light therapy could kill cancer cells in just 30 minutes, and while the research is in its earliest stages,...
WHO, EU to advance digital health in sub-Saharan Africa
A new agreement has been inked by the World Health Organisation and the European Union (EU) to support the digital transformation of health systems...
AI helps predict Kenyan child malnutrition
Globally, nearly half of the deaths of children under five are linked to malnutrition, and in Kenya, it’s the leading cause of illness and...
Ultrasound holds promise for surgery-free cancer therapy
Ultrasound has long been used for helping doctors see inside the body, but focused high frequency sound waves are offering new ways of targeting...
Discovery focuses on sleep to boost members’ health
Research by Discovery Health has confirmed that not only does insufficient sleep harm your health but it also dents your wallet, with three years...
Funding for Scottish researchers will help eczema sufferers
A new technology from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, which it anticipates will “revolutionise” eczema diagnosis and treatment, has secured more than £475 000 for clinical research, reports The...
New tests for 55 000 UK diabetes patients after diagnostic error
At least 55 000 patients in England will be needing further blood tests after errors made by machines used to diagnose diabetes, a BBC...
Free State team performs robotic surgery marathon
In a medical milestone, six Free State patients recently underwent robotic surgery at Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein in six days in a breakthrough...
SA diagnostic breakthrough saving lives
New technology developed at the University of the Witwatersrand is being expanded to tackle a broader range of diseases after its proven success in...
Scientists hail new treatment for babies with rare condition
The mother of a baby whose stomach and bowel had “moved into her chest” has hailed new research aimed at treating her daughter’s rare...
SA experts flag glucose 'wellness' monitors
Medical experts have expressed concern about continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) being promoted and sold in South Africa as wellness gadgets for tracking food and...
NHLS targets dented by 2024 cyber attack
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) is still suffering from the cyber attack last June that annihilated its ICT systems and infrastructure, and resulted in it...
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...
Safe, fast and minimally invasive magnets saving lives in Ukraine
New technology – in the form of a small magnetic extractor – is helping to save lives on the battlefield and changing the face...
AI brings back voice stolen by mouth cancer
When doctors told her they had to remove her tongue and voice box to save her life from the cancer that had invaded her...
AI surgical robot performs gallbladder op autonomously
Researchers in the United States say their experimental AI-guided robot can autonomously perform a delicate, complicated phase of a common gallbladder operation, marking a...
UK team uses E coli to turn plastic waste into paracetamol
In a significant discovery, British chemists have found that E coli bacteria can be used to turn plastic waste into acetaminophen painkillers, opening up...
Home hormone-checking saliva test ‘as good as birth control pills’
A new at-home saliva test, which the makers say is as effective as birth control pills at preventing pregnancy – and which tracks a...
KZN patient registration system struggles to get going
Implementation of the Health Patient Registration System (HPRS) in KwaZulu-Natal is being hamstrung by a budget shortfall and issues relating to internet connectivity, according...
The challenges of rapidly evolving AI in healthcare
The first pregnancy facilitated by an artificial intelligence (AI) procedure has been carried out in the US. And approval for medicines and medical devices...
Healthcare data protection in a mushrooming AI-driven sector
With data breaches on the rise worldwide, and with South Africa having suffered its own significant cyber-attacks, noticeably in the healthcare sector and most...
Hackers target Mediclinic staff data
Mediclinic says employment-related data was affected in a cyber-security breach affecting a third-party IT service provider.
MyBroadband reported that cyber-extortion gang Everest Group had claimed...