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Thursday, 2 April, 2026

FOCUS: MEDICAL AID

Deepening crisis in healthcare affordability: Stats SA survey

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With barely 14% of the country’s population covered by medical aid, new data reveal a deepening crisis in healthcare affordability, where race, geography and income determine who gets treated and who doesn’t, reports The Citizen. A StatsSA survey has found that  in 2022-23 households collectively spent R103.5bn in medical aid contributions, yet only 14.1% of the population holds medical aid coverage. The latest data, released last week from Statistics South Africa’s (Stats SA) Income and Expenditure Survey 2022-23, expose the scale of inequality...
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NHI

Can talks avoid courtroom war over NHI?

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi recently had a meeting with the South African Medical Association (SAMA) – one of the organisations taking him to court about the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act – and says he is open to talks with others. SAMA’s chairperson Mvuyisi Mzukwa, who confirmed the meeting with Motsoaledi, said “the discussion did not allow for in-depth engagement on specific issues”, adding: “The Minister requested that engagements continue on a monthly basis, with each session focusing on a single, clearly defined area of interest or key concern to enable more substantive discussion.” Motsoaledi told Bhekisisa’s Health Beat that President Cyril Ramaphosa is also...

NEWS UPDATE

Court denies ‘Dr Death’s’ plea to halt HPCSA proceedings

The High Court in Pretoria has dismissed an application by Cape Town cardiologist Dr Wouter Basson – ‘Dr Death’ – that would grant him a permanent stay of proceedings before the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). The failed bid means Basson (75), previously head of a secretive chemical and biological warfare programme during the apartheid era, will now have to further face disciplinary proceedings. He was found guilty in 2013 of unprofessional conduct after a disciplinary hearing into complaints related to his actions in the early 1980s, when, as a member of the SANDF, he led a chemical and biological...

DA flags cardiac patient deaths at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital

Cardiac outcomes at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital require an urgent investigation by the Health Ombud, according to DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom. Gauteng Health denies the allegations and claims outcomes have actually improved, reports TimesLIVE. Earlier this week DA Gauteng Shadow Health MEC Jack Bloom said heart patients were dying because of the “grossly mismanaged cardiothoracic department”; that repeated calls for an independent investigation had been ignored; and that this had led to a senior heart surgeon resigning last year. Bloom, who has referred the matter to Health Ombud Taole Mokoena for an “urgent and independent investigation”, added...

Surgical crisis at Grey’s Hospital as aircon upgrade drags on

Staff and patients at Pietermaritzburg’s Grey’s Hospital are battling with ongoing surgical crises due to a malfunctioning HVAC system, with operations cancelled – and bookings moved to as far ahead as 2030 – because appalling bureaucratic delays impede its long-overdue replacement, according to a Scorpio investigation in Daily Maverick. Tuesday this week was supposed to mark the completion of a new heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system at the hospital that would keep operating theatres cool and sterile. But the project has not even started yet. Instead, the HVAC system, a 45-year-old industrial plant that should have been replaced...

CMS plans code of conduct for fraud probes after racism complaints

Parliament has been assured by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) that it will implement the recommendations of the section 59 investigation into alleged discrimination against black healthcare providers, and that a legally binding code of conduct to govern future fraud probes is in the pipeline. Business Day reports that the CMS launched the investigation after black healthcare providers claimed they were unfairly targeted for audits by medical schemes and administrators under section 59 of the Medical Schemes Act. The final section 59 investigation report, published in July last year, suggested they were more likely to be singled out for fraud...

Court lashes department over non-compliance in vigilante case

The Department of Health and other government respondents have failed to comply with a court order to stop anti-immigrant vigilantes from screening patients, and now have one final chance to prove their intent, reports GroundUp. The Gauteng High Court has instructed the governments to comply with the December ruling that ordered the state to take firm action against Operation Dudula members who are obstructing and blocking access to clinics for immigrants. The matter, first heard in late November, was initiated by the Treatment Action Campaign, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) and Kopanang Africa Against Xenophobia. The respondents were the managers of...

Motsoaledi vows action after hospital patient deaths

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has lashed out at “inhumane” treatment that led to a psychiatric patient’s death, saying conduct exposed in a recent scathing report by the Health Ombud “had nothing to do with infrastructure or resource constraints”, reports the Cape Argus. The findings by Health Ombudsman Professor Taole Mokoena into two patient deaths in Gauteng had exposed serious lapses in care, governance and patient safety in both public and private facilities, and Motsoaledi said he was prepared to establish a tribunal if anyone disputed the report. In the one case, an investigation found that psychiatric patient Lerato Mohlamme died after...

FDA wants drug pulled, warns of fatal liver injuries

Eight deaths and dozens of drug-induced liver injury (DILI) cases have been linked to a medication the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) wants pulled from the market, but the drug company refuses to withdraw its vasculitis treatment, reports MedPage Today. On Tuesday, the FDA warned that post-marketing data has turned up dozens of serious cases of DILI associated with avacopan (Tavneos), a drug used to treat ANCA-associated vasculitis. Eight of the cases were fatal, including three patients who developed vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS), which can lead to permanent liver damage where the bile ducts are progressively destroyed before disappearing altogether. “Although hepatotoxicity...

Sanitary pad saga – MPs call for regulatory reforms

MPs have called for regulatory changes to be explored, including possible amendments to make the criteria of the SA Bureau of Standards (SABS) compulsory, as well as for continuous testing and monitoring of all sanitary products, reports The Star. This comes after scientists’ and the National Health Department’s reassurances that the endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDC) detected in sanitary pads and panty liners tested by the University of the Free State posed no health risk. The findings had initially raised countrywide alarm. However, the UFS team said the common chemicals are found in dozens of household items and the levels were below established European...

MEC claims private ambulance left patient ‘on roadside’

KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma has claimed private ambulance service ALS Paramedics had left a patient, without medical aid, stranded on the side of the road at an accident scene – and has also accused the company's director of perjury, reports News24. In the KZN High Court last week, the MEC’s legal team filed a supplementary affidavit presenting new evidence from two government officials alleging discriminatory conduct by ALS Paramedics at an accident on 6 October 2025. In his papers, Duma said the officials, Asheeth Sadapal and NM Dlamini, had revealed that a patient had reported being loaded into an ALS...

Only 3% of South Africans using condoms as STIs rise

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise in South Africa, and while exact numbers are difficult to pinpoint, regional data paint a worrying picture, writes Faith Mutizira for Health-e News. In Cape Town, around 4 000 patients per month sought care for STIs in 2025. The Eastern Cape reportedly has the highest rates of new STI cases nationally, and in Gauteng, the percentage of men with STIs rose from 12 % in 2020 to 15 % in 2023. Experts warn that these infections are not being treated with the urgency they require. Dr Tendesayi Kufa-Chakezha, an epidemiologist at the Centre for HIV and...

Cape team pioneers cryoablation for thyroid cancer

In what is described as a monumental step forward for cancer treatment in South Africa, a team at the UCT Private Academic Hospital successfully conducted the country’s first cryoablation procedure to treat thyroid carcinoma last Wednesday. Cape Etc reports that, led by Dr Gercois Human, Dr Jateel Kassim and Dr Gareth Bydawell, the Cape Town Interventional Radiology team, employed the innovative, minimally invasive technique to combat a recurring case of papillary thyroid carcinoma. The patient in the landmark case had experienced a recurrence of the cancer, with secondary tumours developing in different parts of the body after the surgical removal of...

Report flags safety of NHS diabetic patients in British hospitals

A report from Britain’s Health Services Safety Investigations Body has uncovered persistent and significant safety risks facing patients with insulin‑dependent diabetes when they are admitted to hospital, with failings contributing to avoidable harm and, in some cases, even deaths, reports the UK National Health Executive. The report highlights that patients have been injured or died because their insulin was not managed correctly, despite being recognised as one of the National Health Service’s highest‑risk medications. The investigation warns that risks linked to inpatient insulin administration could increase further unless systemic improvements are made. Drawing on interviews with patients, families, carers, NHS staff...

Pope blesses xenotransplantation for Catholics

New guidance from the Vatican says Catholics are permitted to receive transplants of animal tissues for specific medical conditions – this as advancements in procedures involving genetically modified pig or cow organs continue to accelerate, reports The Independent. An 88-page document, outlining ethical guidelines for such transplants, reaffirms earlier Church teaching, stating there is no objection to these treatments provided they follow best medical practices and avoid animal cruelty. The text addressed xenotransplantation, or the transplanting of organs or tissues from one species to another, the Vatican having first approved such procedures in 2001, when they were in very early stages of development. The Vatican document, drafted with the help...

Fruit squash drink pulled from shelves

Batches of a popular fruit squash drink have been recalled by the the National Consumer Commission (NCC), which said nearly 3 000 cases of Slimsy pomegranate concentrate were being removed from shelves, reports TimesLIVE. The recall applies to the 6% Slimsy Pomegranate Squash Concentrate One Litre, which were distributed in Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal. The recall affects a total of 2 894 cases (17 364 units), according to supplier Dynamic Brands Manufacturing. The defect relates to blown or swollen bottles that may rupture due to gas formation and lead to physical injury. Ingestion of the product...

Illegal Midrand doctor nabbed after 10 years

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said that 20 unregistered doctors were arrested in the 2025/2026 financial year for practising illegally, including one in Midrand who allegedly operated for 10 years before being caught after a community tip-off, reports The Star. The revelations came after African Transformation Movement (ATM) MP Thandiswa Marawu asked Motsoaledi how the Department of Health had failed to spot the Midrand imposter before his arrest on 28 January, and what support was available to affected patients. She also asked what measures were in place to verify doctors’ credentials, whether inspections would be conducted at private medical centres, and...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Court allows amputation of child’s feet despite parental objection

A six-year-old who developed gangrene in both feet will undergo lower limb amputation after the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital obtained permission from the High Court for the surgery, reports The Star. The legal go-ahead follows the parents’ refusal to agree to medical intervention, insisting on traditional healing instead. The application was instituted this month on an urgent basis, but Judge Mas-udah Pangarker issued her reasons for the order last Friday. The court also gave the green-light for any associated treatment, including psychological counselling for the child. The child had suffered from a blood infection caused by bacteria that releases toxins...

Illegal Midrand doctor nabbed after 10 years

Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said that 20 unregistered doctors were arrested in the 2025/2026 financial year for practising illegally, including one in Midrand who allegedly operated for 10 years before being caught after a community tip-off, reports The Star. The revelations came after African Transformation Movement (ATM) MP Thandiswa Marawu asked Motsoaledi how the Department of Health had failed to spot the Midrand imposter before his arrest on 28 January, and what support was available to affected patients. She also asked what measures were in place to verify doctors’ credentials, whether inspections would be conducted at private medical centres, and...

Stellenbosch radiologist shooting case postponed

The case involving Stellenbosch radiologist Dr Pieter Henning, accused of firing his gun into the door of a vacant building last year while allegedly intoxicated, was postponed on Monday until 9 July while investigations continue, News24 reports. Henning, who is also accused of failing to properly secure a weapon, is currently under also investigation by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) over claims of opioid abuse and of causing a patient’s death. Once a familiar face on local TV after a string of appearances, Henning had previously denied to News24 that he had been drunk on the night of...

SARS nabs celebrity doctor on tax evasion

Well-known radio doctor Dr Leonard Mandlalele Mhinga (73) appeared in the Palm Ridge, Alberton, court on Monday facing 102 charges for not filing tax returns as far back as 2007, reports the Sowetan. NPA spokesperson Magaboke Mohlatlole said Mhinga, husband of renowned singer Yvonne Chaka Chaka, had failed to submit income tax and value-added tax (VAT) returns to the South African Revenue Service (Sars) between 2007 and 2022, and VAT returns from 2009 to 2023. “While there is no amount attached to non-filing, there are SARS admin interest and penalties,” Mohlatlole added. The matter was postponed to 6 May.   TimesLIVE article Celebrity doctor...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

PAEDIATRICS

South Africa’s shame of child stunting and its echoes of HIV

Weeks after pledging to end child stunting by 2030, President Cyril Ramaphosa has kick-started a task team to tackle this crisis. Janet Heard from Spotlight asked an expert what...

COVID-19

No link between vaccines and sudden cardiac death – Canadian study

The worldwide roll-out of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) vaccines was controversial, with many claiming it took more lives than the infection itself. However, a recent study in PLOS Medicine found no...

EMERGENCY CARE

Half of all badly injured patients don’t reach medical care – UK-Stellenbosch study

Many seriously injured patients in Global South countries fail to reach medical care within the lifesaving “golden hour”, with ambulances often associated with these delays, according to a recently...

TROPICAL DISEASES

Optimism that new drug could end sleeping sickness

Sleeping sickness is a notorious disease – a single bite from a tsetse fly carrying the parasite is all it takes to infect someone. Without treatment, one form of...

ONCOLOGY

Nicotine vaping linked to lung cancer – Australian analysis

Nicotine vaping is likely to cause lung and oral cancers, a comprehensive review of more than 100 studies has suggested, with the researchers warning while cigarette smoking was once...

Chemo care should include podiatry – Australian study

Irreversible nerve damage to the lower limbs is a common side effect of chemotherapy, yet up to 50% of patients are missing out on vital care that could significantly...

SLEEP HEALTH

Yoga the best medicine to improve sleep – Chinese study

Scientists suggest that one of the best exercises for improving sleep in the long run is a good session of yoga – with recent research showing that it’s more...

ABOUT US

MedicalBrief is Africa’s authoritative weekly digest of medical matters, both on the continent and around the world. It brings you a succinct summary of the latest developments, both in news and research, with links to the original material. Contact us: info@medicalbrief.co.za

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