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Weekly Roundup
WHO sketches dire state of mental health treatment in SA
Chances are, in South Africa, if you’re suffering from a serious mental illness you will struggle to see a psychiatrist. City Press reports that...
Motsoaledi task team to tackle Durban hospital monkey problem
Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has appointed a task team to urgently tackle an invasion of monkeys at Durban's RK Khan Hospital, reports The Times....
Eastern Cape Health places jobs on the line with non-payment of suppliers
The Eastern Cape Health Department is placing thousands of jobs on the line by not paying their suppliers on time, with debts in excess...
Wits RHI launch Africa's first HPV vaccine impact evaluation project
Wits Reproductive Health and HIV Institute is the successful recipient of two awards from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Health and...
Joint SA pharma advisory on risks with quinolone and fluroquinolone
An advisory from Aspen Pharmacare, Bayer, Fresenius Kabi, Ranbaxy (SA), Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals and Zentiva South Africa, has noted risks associated with systemic and inhaled...
Doctors must not work until they are paid – Sama
The South Africa Medical Association (Sama) has called on all doctors and other healthcare professionals who have not yet received their salaries to not...
SA increases spend on HIV but condom access plummets — Health Barometer
While South Africa has increased HIV spending at district level with stellar results, access to condoms has plummeted, Health-e News reports, according to the...
American College of Radiology accreditation first for Jhb practice
A Johannesburg radiology practice has been awarded a three-year term of accreditation for its mammography imaging service following a recent review by the American...
Governments failing to curb 'big food' fuelling obesity — Lancet Commission
Malnutrition, which includes both obesity and under-nutrition, is the leading cause of poor health around the world, and the culprits for the costly obesity...
Durban methadone projects eyes national rollout
The pioneers of a pilot project in Durban aimed at helping heroin drug users are currently in talks with the Health Department about a...
HPV vaccine critical to protect against cancer in poorer countries
A vaccine given to girls to protect them against a virus that causes cervical cancer is a critical health tool and access to it...
FDA carcinogen-related recalls could cause shortages of hypertension drug
Additional shortages of blood pressure drugs in the US are possible following recent recalls related to traces of a probable carcinogen found in some...
SA's orthopaedic surgeons to benefit from Cape 3D printing laboratory
Orthopaedic surgeons in South Africa will be able to plan and practise a lot better for procedures, thanks to 3D printing. The Mercury reports...
Bogus doctor to appear in Joburg court over illegal medical centre
A 45-year-old man is expected to appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court after he was found allegedly operating an illegal medical centre in Hillbrow....
Fake malaria drugs cause up to 158 000 deaths yearly in sub-Saharan Africa
Substandard and fake medicines pose a significant threat to Africa. These products contribute to the global threat of drug-resistant illness and undermine Africa’s ability...
Bats responsible for recent West African Ebola epidemics
For the first time, the type of deadly Ebola virus responsible for recent epidemics has been found in a bat in West Africa, The...
Unions slam conditions in Northern Cape hospital
Labour unions have accused the Northern Cape Health Department of poor management after patients had to sleep on the floor at Kimberley’s Robert Mangaliso...
UK's 5-year action plan to fight super-bug threat
Drug-resistant superbugs are as big a threat to the world as climate change or wars, Britain's Health Secretary Matt Hancock warned during a speech...
HIV-status data breach in homophobic Singapore
The HIV-positive status of 14,200 people, as well as their identification numbers and contact details, has been leaked online, authorities in Singapore said. Records...
Training to help inform Northern Cape children of their HIV status
The Northern Cape Health Department has, along with the Social Development Department, undertaken to conduct basic HIV training for guardians and parents of children...
Rwandan police crackdown on trade in skin-bleaching products
Police have raided beautician and chemist properties across Rwanda in an operation to curb the illegal trade in skin-bleaching products that imperil the lives...
Eli Lilly withdraws conditionally approved cancer drug after failed trial
Eli Lilly and Co has announced that its cancer treatment Lartruvo, which had won conditional approval, failed to improve patient survival in a long-term...
FDA approves biosimilar to breast cancer blockbuster
The US Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has approved a biosimilar to Roche Holding AG’s blockbuster breast cancer treatment, Herceptin.
Reuters Health reports...
‘Hostile’ rules on NHS treatment of immigrants endangering lives
A 38-year-old man is dying from heart failure after being denied treatment under UK immigration rules, prompting renewed criticism of the Home Office’s 'hostile...
Misconceptions over penicillin allergy deprive patients of best treatment
Most patients who report having a penicillin allergy are not really allergic to this highly effective antibiotic, and they may be missing out on...
Second women confirmed pregnant with genetically edited baby
A second woman became pregnant during the experiment to create the world’s first genetically edited babies, Chinese authorities have confirmed, as the researcher behind...
Canada's new food guide leaves out a daily dose of dairy
Canada has released a new food guide, and, reports BBC News, one thing is noticeably missing – a daily dose of dairy. The report...
'Golden hellos' reduce under-doctoring in poorer areas
Record numbers of UK GPs are working in some of England’s most deprived communities after being given £20,000 “golden hellos” to tackle the under-doctoring...
Patients with pigeon-dropping fungal infection die in Scotland
Two patients have died after contracting a fungal infection caused by pigeon droppings at Scotland's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. According to a BBC News report,...
Minister urges co-operation in fight against illegal initiation schools
South African Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Zweli Mkhize has urged parents, traditional leaders and the medical fraternity to work together...
UCTPAH offers first bronchial thermoplasty in Africa
A newly established lung and heart centre offering a range of specialised medical interventions and treatments has been established at UCT Private Academic Hospital...
UK to fund sending maggots to war zones for wound treatment
The UK government is to provide funding for medicinal maggots to be sent to war zones such as Syria and Yemen, where they will...
Influenza pandemic one of 10 global threats in WHO's 5-year plan
The world will face another influenza pandemic, although no one knows when and how severe it will be, says the World Health Organisation. The...
Political and security issues could still disrupt DRC's fight against Ebola
As political tensions over the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) stalled presidential election results continue, and rebel groups in the east of the country...
Limpopo and FS deny claims that accident patients were left untreated
The Limpopo Health Department has slammed claims that a family was left untreated at the Louis Trichardt Memorial Hospital after being involved in an...
Paramedics' 'duty of care' exploited by SA criminals
Criminals are exploiting paramedics’ “duty of care” by flagging them down and then attacking and robbing them. According to a Weekend Argus report, paramedics...
End of free EU healthcare for Brit expats if there is a no-deal Brexit
Millions of British expats living in EU member states will lose their entitlement to free healthcare if a no-deal Brexit is the final outcome....
UK clinical trial launched into development of cancer-indicating breath test
Researchers have launched a clinical trial to develop a breath test, analysing molecules that could indicate the presence of cancer at an early stage....
Former Gauteng Health MECs told by ANC to resign from party committee
The fallout from the Life Esidimeni and other scandals has finally caught up with former Gauteng Health MECs Qedani Mahlangu and Brian Hlongwa. They...
56th robbery of Cape paramedics this year
Two paramedics were robbed in Seawinds, near Muizenberg, making it the 56th such attack in the Cape Town area this year, reports News24. "It...