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Wednesday, 8 October, 2025

FOCUS: PUBLIC HEALTH

Health officials central to R2bn Tembisa looting spree

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
Government officials, from high ranking managers to junior officials, all acted together to fleece a staggering R2bn from the Tembisa Hospital in a web of corruption involving nine syndicates, money laundering, fronting and racketeering. Detailing the vast scale of corruption at the hospital, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) this week revealed how corrupt Gauteng Department of Health officials had been rewarded with bribes of R122m for their complicity in the theft and looting for more than R2bn at Tembisa. The staggering...
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NEWS UPDATE

SAHPRA backs safety of paracetamol

The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has confirmed that paracetamol remains a safe and recommended option for treating pain and fever during pregnancy, and that no scientific evidence links it to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. It added that it would continue to monitor emerging evidence on the medication’s safety, and that healthcare professionals are encouraged to provide counselling to patients about the side effects of paracetamol, as detailed in the product’s professional information and patient information leaflet (https://pi-pil-repository.sahpra.org.za/). They are urged to report any suspected adverse drug reactions related to paracetamol and other health products to SAHPRA...

Tembisa tender tycoon now wants R1bn deal from North West

Despite Hangwani Morgan Maumela – the tender don of Tembisa Hospital – being paid R820m in two years through a network of front companies, and now under investigation for alleged procurement fraud, one of his proxy companies has bid for a lucrative North West Health Department catering tender. Although a News24 investigation has now revealed that fake documents were used in the R1bn bid, Maumela has gone to court to ensure his company gets the tender. Aloo Construction & Supply, one of 14 companies identified as part of a syndicate helmed by Maumela, bid for a four-year tender – advertised in...

Private healthcare monopolies flagged again in new report

Not much has changed in the private healthcare sector over the past half dozen years, and the absence of regulatory intervention, as well as ongoing market dominance – and a lack of competition – means a handful of private hospitals and medical scheme administrators are still raking in hefty profits. This is according to a recent report from advocacy group Open Secrets, reports BusinessLIVE.  Six years after the Competition Commission raised concerns about the private healthcare sector, there have been no significant shifts, according to the report. After an extensive health market inquiry, the commission had concluded that the concentrated ownership...

Medical aid premium hikes way above inflation

Medical schemes are to increase their premiums by up to four times the current inflation rate of 3.3% in January, reports News24, with Bonitas pushing its rates up by a weighted average of 8.8%, Medshield by 7.5% and Bestmed by 6.8%. Discovery Health Medical Scheme, however, is deferring the pain of a premium hike by three months, saying its increase – of 7.2% – will kick in only on 1 April, reports BusinessLIVE. Earlier this year, the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) had recommended an inflation-related increase of 3.3% for 2026 premiums. However, it contains an often-overlooked phrase: “plus reasonable utilisation...

Lack of security puts Johannesburg clinic staff at risk

Nurses at Jeppestown Clinic in downtown Johannesburg have pleaded for more security, saying one unarmed security guard is inadequate at a facility where staff have, in the past, been held hostage by patients, been threatened by a knife-wielding drunk, and, more latterly, where “hitman” threats have been directed at one of the nurses. TimesLIVE reports that during a site visit last week by Johannesburg MMC for Public Safety Mgcini Tshwaku and MMC for Social Development & Health Ennie Makhafola, the nurses expressed fears about their safety, adding that patients also manage to enter the facility with weapons. On weekends, particularly, only...

Power shutdown causes chaos at Steve Biko Hospital

Frustrated and angry doctors said an electricity maintenance shutdown at Pretoria’s Steve Biko Academic Hospital at the weekend came without any warning, resulting in emergency services scrambling to get critically ill patients to nearby hospitals. Two floors housing critical services were evacuated so work could be done on failing electrical systems, reports Daily Maverick, adding that there are also unconfirmed reports that three patients died during the upheaval. The emergency, intensive care and high care units were all out of service during the shutdown, as was the National Health Laboratory Service lab based at the hospital. One insider told Daily Maverick: “What it...

One ambulance for 50 000 people

Angry and anxious residents say that only one ambulance is working in the Sundays River Valley Municipality in the Eastern Cape, with the Health Department confirming that four are being repaired “and one is too costly to repair”, putting 50 000 lives at risk, writes Thamsanqa Mbovane for GroundUp. One resident, Ndumiso Maloni, believes his brother might still be alive if the municipality’s single operational ambulance had not taken four hours to arrive. Maloni said he’d hurried to his brother’s house in the Moses Mabida township in Kirkwood after receiving a message on 12 September from his sister that their sibling...

Private sector to bail out NHLS in cancer test backlog

In a bid to slash its overwhelming backlog of cancer tests at its Johannesburg facility, the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) – which receives about 4 000 specimens a month – has approached the private sector for help, reports BusinessLIVE. The NHLS is considered the backbone of the public health system, providing tests used to diagnose and monitor diseases ranging from HIV to cervical cancer. But State patients in Johannesburg can wait as long as three months for the results of cancer tests, forcing them to delay treatment and potentially jeopardising their health and its success. In the private sector, the results...

Free healthcare for migrants 'a mistake', says Minister

South Africa’s resources are limited and the government had made a mistake in 1996 in granting services to everyone in the country – whether they were legal or not – according to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, who said state departments should be reformed to “curb waste”. New24 reports that at a forum in Pretoria on Monday, the Minister questioned the affordability of providing free public healthcare to undocumented migrants. The 1996 Constitution, forged after the end of white-minority rule, had granted services to everyone in the country, and now legally, “we cannot refuse you”, he added. “People must come to our country...

Plan for ‘special Bill’ to plug health funding gap

National Treasury says it is planning to approach Parliament for a Special Appropriation Bill to bridge the funding shortfall in Health and the gap left by the withdrawal of US funding from the sector, reports BusinessLIVE. It said a copy of the Bill would be available on the National Treasury website once it had been introduced in the House. The country’s laws make provision for these special Bills in unforeseen circumstances, with legislators then being able to sanction the withdrawal of funds from the national revenue fund. Pepfar had contributed a substantial amount to SA’s HIV response, supporting the Department of Health...

SA launches WHO-backed plan to combat rise of counterfeit meds

A national action plan to fight the alarming rise of fake and sub-standard medicines in South Africa will be implemented from next year, aimed at rooting out illegal products that have seeped into the market, including weight loss medication. EWN reports that the plan has been developed by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), guided by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said the plan, which would be implemented from 2026 to 2030, aimed to ensure all fake medicines are removed from the market. Guarding measures were to be introduced at ports of entry and would also...

Big hearts, willing givers, tackle Western Cape cataract backlog

A massive backlog of nearly 500 cataract surgeries in the Western Cape has been wiped out, thanks to the efforts of Gift of the Givers, some friends, as well as the generosity of local farmers, reports TimesLIVE. The charitable organisation’s Dr Naeem Kathrada said about R1m had been spent on the campaign to slash the list of eye patients awaiting the procedures. “We were at the Eerste River Hospital during Covid for a visit, and had helped them with refurbishing some infrastructure,” Kathrada said. “Recently, a doctor approached us and said they were trying to raise funds to tackle their backlog...

WHO warns pollution killing thousands of South Africans annually

The WHO has urged South Africa to adopt stronger air quality standards aligned to global guidelines and accelerate a just energy transition through clean energy, sustainable transport and safe household cooking, among other measures, with studies having shown that the country has the fourth-highest number of deaths linked to particulate matter pollution on the continent. TimesLIVE reports that air pollution claims 26 000 South African lives prematurely every year, making it one of the country’s deadliest yet least visible public health threats, according to the Department of Health, which last week commemorated World Environmental Health Day in Ekurhuleni. Health Minister Dr Aaron...

Indian court orders handwriting lessons for doctors

Jokes around the notoriously bad handwriting of doctors are common worldwide, but the latest order emphasising the importance of clear handwriting was in India, when the Punjab and Haryana High Court declared that “legible medical prescription is a fundamental right” and can make a difference between life and death. The BBC reports that the court order was related to a bail hearing involving a woman’s allegations that a man had taken money from her promising her a government job, after fake interviews and sexually exploiting her. The man denied the charges, saying they had a consensual relationship and that the case...

Anti-doping agency bans non-diagnostic carbon monoxide in sport

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will add the non-diagnostic use of carbon monoxide to its prohibited methods list from next year, reports Reuters. The gas is used in low doses to help measure critical blood metrics in athletes, especially haemoglobin levels, but there have been suggestions that repeated inhalation can be used to improve athletic performance. The International Cycling Union (UCI) has banned its use outside a medical facility, and in its announcement, WADA said its use could increase erythropoiesis – the process of creating new red blood cells. “However, using it for diagnostic purposes, such as total haemoglobin mass measurements or the...

Vaccines averted 17m deaths in five years, WHO reports

Vaccinations saved the lives of around 17m people between 2021 and 2024, but according to the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on Immunisation, global immunisation programmes still face challenges, particularly in middle-income countries and within conflict settings, reports Health Policy Watch. At a media briefing after SAGE’s biannual meeting this week, Dr Kate O’Brien, WHO director of Immunisation, Vaccines and Biologicals, acknowledged the “deep commitment of countries worldwide to vaccination”, but said while coverage has largely rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, “backsliding in Gavi-ineligible middle-income countries, and an increasing number of people living in fragile and conflict settings, threaten...

CDC flags surge of infections from drug-resistant bacteria

Health officials in the United States have warned that infections from dangerous bacteria, which are resistant to some of the strongest antibiotics available, have surged in the country, reports The Washington Post. In a study published last week, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said infections from NDM-CRE bacteria had risen by more than 460% between 2019 and 2023. “These infections, including pneumonia, bloodstream infections, urinary tract infections, and wound infections, are extremely hard to treat and can be deadly,” the agency said. NDM-CRE are part of a group of bacteria known as carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, or CRE, which caused around...

US ‘pregnancy crimes’ escalate with hundreds of women charged

More than 400 American women have been charged with pregnancy-related crimes in the first two years since the US Supreme Court’s controversial overturning of Roe v Wade, according to research published this week. The Guardian reports that of the 412 cases tracked by Pregnancy Justice, most targeted low-income women and involved allegations that women broke laws against child abuse, endangerment or neglect, found the research, which was compiled by the reproductive justice group. About 300 prosecutions took place in Alabama and Oklahoma: in 16 cases, women were charged with homicide. Because there is no national database of US arrest or court records,...

KZN doctor, nurses nabbed in drunk driving blitz

A doctor and three nurses were among 66 motorists arrested on the weekend in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, for drunk driving, drawing condemnation from Transport & Human Settlements MEC Siboniso Duma. TimesLIVE reports that the doctor has been charged with escaping from lawful detention and faces a fine or six to 10 years behind bars if found guilty. A police officer from Port Shepstone police station was also charged with escaping from lawful detention. Duma said: “In particular, health professionals, through their conduct, should display incredible understanding of the burden on our health system caused by alcohol-related road accidents.” He added that the...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Boy's family sues over hyperbaric chamber death

The parents of a US boy who died a horrific death inside a hyperbaric oxygen chamber that exploded in January have filed a lawsuit, alleging the five-year-old perished because of “corporate greed”. NBC News reports that the lawsuit, filed in Michigan, calls Thomas Cooper’s death the result of “callous indifference to human life” by the manufacturer of the oxygen chamber and the alternative medicine clinic that operated it. It said the boy’s parents were not adequately warned that hyperbaric oxygen therapy could pose a serious risk of death if a fire broke out, and that the hyperbaric chamber was designed without...

New FDA Tylenol advice a potential boost for autism lawsuits

Families in the United States who have been appealing the dismissal of their lawsuits alleging that Kenvue’s Tylenol or generic versions caused their children’s autism are asking an appeals court to consider the FDA’s new advice that pregnant women avoid the painkiller, as it decides whether to revive their lawsuits. Reuters reports that Ashley Keller, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, filed a letter last week alerting the New York 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals to the Trump administration’s stance on the alleged link between Tylenol and autism. Last year a judge had dismissed hundreds of lawsuits alleging a connection between Tylenol...

US ‘pregnancy crimes’ escalate with hundreds of women charged

More than 400 American women have been charged with pregnancy-related crimes in the first two years since the US Supreme Court’s controversial overturning of Roe v Wade, according to research published this week. The Guardian reports that of the 412 cases tracked by Pregnancy Justice, most targeted low-income women and involved allegations that women broke laws against child abuse, endangerment or neglect, found the research, which was compiled by the reproductive justice group. About 300 prosecutions took place in Alabama and Oklahoma: in 16 cases, women were charged with homicide. Because there is no national database of US arrest or court records,...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

CARDIOLOGY

Causes of heart attack in younger women more varied – Mayo Clinic study

Traditionally, most heart attacks have been blamed on clogged arteries causing atherothrombosis – where blood clots block flow to the heart. But recent research suggests we may be underestimating...

GENETICS

Genes behind dyslexia revealed – major Scottish study

A massive research project involving genetic data from more than 1.2m people has identified more than a dozen new gene regions associated with dyslexia, according to University of Edinburgh...

PAEDIATRICS

Less asthma risk for babies living with dogs – Canadian study

Babies growing up around dogs are less likely to develop asthma, but exposure to cat allergens does not have the same protective impact, researchers have suggested. The Independent reports that a study...

NEUROLOGY

Cambridge clinical trial offers hope of new MS therapies

Early results from a Cambridge clinical trial have suggested that a common diabetes drug taken with an antihistamine can partially repair damage in the nervous system that drives disability...

WOMEN’S HEALTH

Non-hormonal pill eases menopause symptoms, study finds

Menopausal hot flushes and night sweats were significantly reduced for women taking a non-hormonal pill from Bayer in a late-stage trial, researchers have reported, adding that the drug also...

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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