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Thursday, 22 January, 2026

FOCUS: NHI

Will it be back to the table for NHI negotiations?

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana opened the door for negotiations between government and the parties opposing the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act last week, but while some appear steadfast in continuing with legal action, others are cautiously open to renewed talks. With nine cases brought by various groups before the court, the NHI could be caught up in legal wrangles for years to come, which led to Godongwana suggesting in Parliament last week thatall of the cases should be withdrawn and...
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NEWS UPDATE

Medical scheme boss accuses CMS of ‘sabotage’ and racial bias

Medical scheme administrator 3Sixty GSG has alleged that regulators and industry insiders deliberately sabotaged the Sizwe Hosmed medical scheme, which was one of the last remaining black-owned administrators in the local medical aid industry. In a 13-page letter to the CMS chairperson, 3Sixty GSG executive chairperson Khandani Msibi listed a web of alleged conspiracies involving managers, trade union leaders and the regulator itself. City Press reports that Msibi claims that statutory manager Joe Seloane and trade union leader Irvin Jim conspired to destroy black-owned enterprises. He also accuses the CMS of having appointed an inexperienced curator who damaged member interests. He said...

GEMS subsidy hike postponed to next month

The planned medical subsidy increase for government employees has been postponed to next month and comes as the Health Minister has promised to intervene in talks on medical aid premium hikes. The subsidy increase for 2026 will not be implemented this month, as previously announced, due to internal administrative operations, according to the National Treasury and a statement by acting Department of Public Service & Administration (DPSA) director-general Willie Vukela. “The adjustment will instead be implemented from 1 February, and will accordingly reflect in that month’s salary backdated from January 2026,” he told IOL. In December, the department announced that DPSA Minister...

Aspen sets its sights on Canada for generic weight-loss jabs

Aspen Pharmacare is gearing up to launch one of the world’s first generic versions of Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide in Canada, where the GLP-1 weight-loss injection has officially lost patent protection – but where it is likely to be up against some stiff competition, reports Business Day. Medicines regulator Health Canada has received nine regulatory filings for generic semaglutide, apart from Aspen: they include Canadian-based Apotex, Switzerland’s Sandoz and Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals, according to its website. Canada is considered a test case for generic pharmaceutical manufacturing companies competing for a slice of the massive market for generic GLP-1 weight loss jabs, which...

Upgraded Free State clinic still short-staffed

Two months after being opened with much fanfare by the Free State Premier, the Borwa Clinic in Tweespruit has yet to hire additional staff, with the new, bigger facility still relying on the same workforce that manned the old, smaller building. The state-of-the-art facility promised to provide a range of essential primary healthcare services, including immunisation, family planning, HIV counselling and testing,  as well as chronic disease management, but no extra staff have yet been employed to boost the resources, reports Health-e News. Tshepo Namane, a local resident, said the community was under the impression more staff were to be hired, to ensure...

SA scientist develops tool for fast screening of TB, cancer and Covid

A Cape Town scientist is working on developing a rapid, low-cost portable screening test that could transform the early detection of TB, cancer and Covid-19, reports News24. Developed at UWC’s SensorLab, the highly sensitive electrochemical sensor can detect minute traces of disease markers at levels far below many existing tests, with the researchers saying the affordable device could be a lifesaver for clinics with limited resources, helping to reduce delayed diagnoses. Dr Jaymi Leigh January and her fellow scientists say the rapid electrochemical sensor promises faster and more affordable screening of lung conditions, offering hope for earlier diagnosis. The device can detect...

WHO calls for higher taxes on sugary drinks and alcohol

Low taxes, which are not in line with inflation, are ineffective in reducing alcohol or sugary drink consumption, the World Health Organisation has warned, urging governments to hike these in efforts to slash obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other diseases, reports Euronews. In two reports released last week, the WHO said low taxes were allowing these products to remain affordable, while global health systems struggle to cope with diseases that could be prevented. Taxing booze and sugar-sweetened drinks is one of the most effective tools a government has to reduce consumption, the WHO argued. "By increasing taxes on products like tobacco, sugary...

World short of one million midwives, warns global report

Africa has only 40% of the midwives it needs, while globally, there’s a massive shortage of nearly 1m midwives, leaving pregnant women without the basic care needed to prevent harm, including the deaths of mothers and babies, according to new research. The study found that in Africa, nine in 10 women lived in a country without enough midwives. Anna af Ugglas, chief executive of the International Confederation of Midwives (ICM) and one of the study’s authors, told The Guardian: “Nearly 1m missing midwives means health systems are stretched beyond capacity, midwives are overworked and underpaid, and care becomes rushed and fragmented. “Intervention...

NHS under fire for guidance over benefits of marrying first cousins

The NHS has withdrawn earlier official training material given to British midwives that suggested there could be “potential benefits” to marriage between first cousins and claiming “the associated genetic risks (to children) have been exaggerated”. The guidance document, which was released publicly after an FOI (Freedom of Information) request, has prompted alarm due to the increased risk of genetic disorders among children born to consanguineous (related) parents, reports The Independent. In the UK – where marriage between first cousins is legal – a child of two first cousins carries a 6% chance of inheriting a recessive disorder, compared with 3% for...

US to probe health links from cellphone radiation

A study on cellphone radiation will be undertaken by the US Department of Health and Human Services, building on Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr’s criticism linking them to neurological damage and cancer, reports Reuters. Last year, the department said 22 states had restricted cellphone use in schools to improve the mental and physical health of children. The FDA has also removed old webpages saying cellphones are not dangerous. “Webpages with old conclusions about cellphone radiation have been taken down while HHS undertakes a study on electromagnetic radiation and health research to identify gaps in knowledge, including on new technologies, to ensure...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Russian doctors arrested after nine newborns die

The acting head of intensive care at a Siberian hospital as well as its chief physician have been arrested after the deaths of nine babies at the facility, reports CBS News. The case, which has cast a spotlight on chronic staff shortages and funding gaps in the country’s medical system, has provoked anger from Russian politicians and online commentators. Prosecutors have charged the pair with negligence and causing death through negligence, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement. The exact causes of the deaths at Novokuznetsk Maternity Hospital No 1 are not yet known. But regional health authorities said the babies were...

Outrage over payouts for UK’s infected blood victims

An outcry has erupted in Britain after the ”ridiculous” compensation payments suggested for victims of unethical medical research, particularly schoolchildren who were infected with HIV and hepatitis in the infected blood scandal dating back decades – a number of whom have since died. The Independent reports that more than £2bn has already been disbursed in compensation, but a charity has expressed “profound concerns” about a specific aspect of the payouts for those subjected to unethical experiments. The concerns specifically highlight cases such as pupils at Lord Mayor’s Treloar College in Hampshire during the 1970s and 1980s, where children with haemophilia at...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

NEPHROLOGY

Fish oil supplement cuts heart risks in dialysis patients – global trial

A recent international trial has delivered striking results for people on dialysis, showing that daily fish oil supplements can sharply reduce serious heart-related events, according to the researchers. Patients taking...

Kidney stone link to higher cancer risk – Canadian meta-analysis

Urology experts from Montreal suggest that people who develop kidney stones show at least twice the risk of developing kidney cancer as those without kidney stones, with the relationship observed across patient subgroups,...

NEUROLOGY

New insight into Epstein-Barr virus and MS links – Swedish study

The immune system’s reaction to the common Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can ultimately damage the brain and contribute to multiple sclerosis (MS), suggests research from Karolinska Institutet, which provides new...

ONCOLOGY

Drug combo boosts hope for multiple myeloma survival

A new therapy for bone-marrow cancer is creating a stir and raising hopes of a potential cure, reports The Washington Post. Oncologist Luciano Costa waited three years to see how...

PHARMACEUTICAL

Dementia patients prescribed harmful drugs – US study

Despite the associated dangers, one in four dementia patients in the United States is still receiving a potentially inappropriate drug prescription, an analysis of Medicare claims data suggested. MedPage Today...

PHARMACOLOGY

Neurology drugs linked to Alice in Wonderland syndrome – French study

Although the rare Alice in Wonderland syndrome (AIWS) is a neurologic condition most often associated with migraine and epileptic seizures, among others, emerging research suggests it may also be...

REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

Experts call for SA lens on contraceptive link to meningioma

Increasing evidence has shown an association between the popular contraceptive injection depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (dMPA) – known as depo provera – and meningioma, leading to increasing media attention, and...

WOMEN’S HEALTH

No link between HRT and dementia – Lancet review

A recent meta-analysis commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which included health data from more than 1m women, found that hormone replacement therapy had no effect on dementia...

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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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