back to top
Twitter
Friday, 25 July, 2025

FOCUS: MEDICO-LEGAL

Teetering emergency services add to medico-legal woes

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
South Africa's severe shortage of ambulances and urgent care beds at hospitals, resulting in emergency medical services buckling under the pressure, are putting lives at risk and leading to an escalation in medico-legal cases. Law firm DSC Attorneys says it has seen an uptick in cases it deals with related to ambulance delays, where a suitably-equipped EMS could have prevented severe injury or death, Business Tech reports. It noted that national EMS standards recommend one ambulance per 10 000 people, yet...
Read more

NEWS UPDATE

MP opens criminal charge against medical schemes

The medical schemes at the centre of the alleged racial bias controversy have denied any discrimination and rejected allegations of fraud or criminal conduct, reports Daily Maverick, after ActionSA MP Dr Kgosi Letlape lodged criminal complaints against them on Monday. The complaints against Discovery, Medscheme and the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) alleged that serious incidents of fraud and intimidation had taken place at the companies over several years. Letlape, a member of the parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health who served as President of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) between 2015 and 2021, filed the complaints after the...

SA HIV programme future unclear as Pepfar dodges $400m cut

The US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) is to be spared a $400m funding cut that formed part of President Donald Trump’s plan to slash billions in spending on foreign aid, but local experts are unsure how this will affect South Africa. They all believe, however, that any restoration of the funding would need to be accompanied by new and sustainable measures to prevent “potential shocks of future funding cuts”, among other priorities, reports Daily Maverick. The “rescissions package” planned to cancel $9.4bn in previously approved – and unspent – federal funds, but after objections from lawmakers, Pepfar is being...

DA questions Gauteng health board appointees

The DA is demanding that Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko account for at least eight ANC Youth League (ANCYL) leaders appointed to boards of Gauteng’s public hospitals, saying this adds to “a long list of reasons for why the MEC should be fired”. In a statement on the Politicsweb site, DA Gauteng shadow MEC for health Jack Bloom wrote that the appointees include Ziyanda Ncuru, a Gauteng youth league deputy secretary who reportedly boasted: “Sana eGoli zi big days, young people zi board members. Zisikelwe iyoung lions.” (Young lions have received their share.) Other ANC appointees include Masabata Ramollo, a member...

Health MEC denies role in sacking radio DJ over migrant protests

KwaZulu-Natal Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane has denied allegations that she pressured radio station Vuma FM into terminating the employment of veteran presenter and activist Jacinta Ngobese-Zuma over her involvement in recent anti-illegal immigration protests, reports News24. Ngobese-Zuma reportedly received her termination letter last week, and speculation is rife that the MEC had a hand in the dismissal, amid rumours that she threatened to pull government advertising from the station unless Ngobese-Zuma was fired. This after Ngobese-Zuma’s March and March Movement, an organisation she founded to campaign against illegal immigration in South Africa, started several protests against foreign nationals at various Durban...

Mpox cases rise in South Africa, Mozambique

Laboratory-confirmed cases of mpox are gradually rising in the country, South African health authorities have warned, after two recent cases were confirmed in Gauteng and the Western Cape, reports The Citizen. This brings the total cumulative number of confirmed cases to 10 since the beginning of the year. Mozambique has also confirmed a surge in cases over the past week in parts of the country, according to the National Directorate of Public Health, which said 11 cases had been recorded – but no deaths reported so far. In South Africa, the latest cases involve a 32-year-old patient from Cape Town and a...

Man killed after being slammed into MRI machine by magnetic force

A 61-year-old man has died after being sucked into a MRI machine at an medical centre in New York while he was wearing a heavy metal necklace, reports the BBC. He had apparently entered a room at Nassau Open MRI on New York’s Long Island without permission as the MRI machine was running, Nassau County Police Department said. His wife told local media she had called him into the MRI room after her scan – but his metal chain resulted in him being hurled hurled towards the machine when he walked in. She and the technician tried to pull him off,...

‘Three-parent’ babies in landmark technique progressing well

Eight healthy babies who were born in Britain with the DNA of three people in a “scientific tour-de-force” are doing well and reaching their milestones, reports The Telegraph. Particularly thrilling for the scientists involved in the technique is that none of the children shows any sign of mitochondrial DNA disease. Dubbed “three parent babies”, the infants carry the genetic material of a “second mother” to repair damage in their mitochondrial DNA, which powers the cells. Scientists in the county have spent decades perfecting the technique, which involves transplanting nuclear DNA – containing all of the characteristics of a person – into a donor...

FDA approves new lung cancer pill

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval to a first-of-its-kind pill for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The medication, called sunvozertinib and sold as Zegfrovy, is for adults with advanced NSCLC, and works for those whose cancer has a certain genetic change, called an EGFR exon 20 insertion mutation. The drug is used when the cancer has worsened during or after chemotherapy. It is taken orally once a day, making it easier for patients to stick to their treatment, which can go on for a long time. The FDA also approved a test called the Oncomine Dx Express Test,...

More than 14m children unvaccinated in 2024

United Nations health officials have said more than 14m children did not receive a single vaccine last year – about the same as the year before – with nine countries accounting for more than half of those unprotected children, and with statistics unlikely to improve. AP reports that the WHO and Unicef said about 89% of children under 12-months-old got a first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough vaccine in 2024, the same as in 2023, with about 85% completing the three-dose series, up from 84% in 2023. Officials acknowledged, however, that the collapse of international aid this year...

US faces doctor shortage after Trump visa restrictions

Although the Trump administration has softened its travel bans – lifting the J-1 visa ban last month – its pausing of visas for citizens of certain countries has prevented foreign medical residents from filling critical positions in American hospitals, which already face shortages. The restrictions have led to a number of international doctors, due to start their medical training, stumbling at the last hurdle – a visa to enter the country. It is unclear precisely how many residents have been affected, but six medical residents interviewed by AP said that after years of training and work, they are now being prevented...

HRT supplier sanctioned after safety fears

A major British supplier of menopausal HRT treatments has been sanctioned after whistle-blowers claimed patients were being put at risk, and alleging, among other things, that some products featured inaccurate prescribing information, reports The Independent. The group of employees from Theramex, which supplies HRT treatments to millions of patients in the UK, wrote to the pharmaceutical regulator Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry over allegations the company was not following regulatory standards and may “jeopardise” patient safety. They also said common side effects were not highlighted on product information, and their efforts to raise issues internally were brushed off. The company has now admitted...

Sarepta halts Duchenne therapy shipments

Sarepta Therapeutics will comply with an FDA request last week to halt shipments of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy, an about-face after the company earlier refused to do so, reports Endpoints News, and coming hard on the heels of another tragedy linked to a separate treatment trial. The treatment – Elevidys – has caused two patient deaths and been under investigation by the FDA for weeks. On Friday, the FDA said it had asked the company to halt shipments of the medication, but Sarepta had refused, setting up a showdown with the regulator. On Monday night, Sarepta released a statement...

US slammed for plan to burn $10m contraceptives for overseas women

The Trump administration has decided to destroy contraceptives worth $9.7m rather than send them abroad to women in need, reports The Guardian, in a move that will cost American taxpayers $167 000. The contraceptives are mainly long-acting, such as IUDs and birth control implants, and were almost certainly intended for women in Africa, according to two senior congressional aides, one of whom visited a warehouse in Belgium that housed the contraceptives. It is not clear to the aides whether the destruction has already been carried out, but said they had been told that it was to take place by the end of July. “It is unacceptable...

Penicillin jab recall jeopardises syphilis gains in the United States

Pfizer has warned of a possible shortage of Bicillin L-A, a long-acting injection of the antibiotic penicillin used for treating syphilis during pregnancy, after a 10 July recall when batches of the drug were found to be contaminated with floating particles. The news is the latest twist in a drug shortage that began in 2023, reports CNN. Pfizer, which said it has received no reports of adverse events related to the recalled shots, has “identified the root cause to be associated with stoppers supplied from an external vendor”, and was implementing “the appropriate corrective and preventative actions”, it said. Benzathine penicillin G,...

Covid was a Chinese bioweapons research project, US expert claims

A report by a US Air Force officer and bioweapons expert has suggested, in a new report, that the Covid-19 pandemic could have resulted from a military-research-related accident in a Chinese laboratory, and that the work there was possibly part of research by China that possibly violated a treaty banning biological weapons. The report also asserts that China knew, even before the outbreak, that the SARS-CoV-2 virus appeared to have severe, enduring neurological effects, according to City Journal. The 172-page report was written by Robert Kadlec, a bioweapons expert and career Air Force officer whom President Donald Trump has nominated as...

China widens children’s lead poisoning probe

China has expanded the probe into a kindergarten lead poisoning scandal in which more than 200 children were found with abnormally high levels of lead in their blood – and after claims that the school had added paint to their food to make it look more enticing. The South China Morning Post reports that the central government is now getting involved in a rare intervention in a provincial investigation, alongside the Health Ministry and a task force from the State Council, the country’s cabinet. Last week it was reported that 233 of 251 children at the kindergarten in Tianshui had abnormal...

More than 30 poisoned from fake Botox in UK

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said 38 cases of botulism poisoning have been recorded in England in the past six weeks after the suspected use of unlicensed Botox-like products in cosmetic procedures. Botulism is a rare but life-threatening condition caused by toxins produced by Clostridium botulinum bacteria, a key ingredient in the injection, reports the BBC. The agency has urged those seeking treatments to obtain proof that their Botox practitioner is qualified and is using licensed products. In the most recent cases, patients had difficulty swallowing, slurred speech and breathing difficulties, which required respiratory support. Other symptoms of botulism can include...

Dire handwashing habits of hospital loo users – UK-Danish study

British researchers – in a 19-week study in partnership with Bispebjerg Hospital in Denmark – have found that almost one of every two people using a hospital toilet don’t wash their hands, reports the BBC. The University of Surrey’s Dr Pablo Pereira Doel said they had put sensors on toilet and sink pipes to monitor hygiene behaviour. From 2 636 flushes, it revealed 43.7% (1 153 flushes) of people using a hospital toilet skipped handwashing, with figures peaking at 61.8% on certain weeks. Despite assumptions that handwashing may be “second nature” after Covid-19, Doel added, this behaviour could directly affect patient safety. The...

UK doctor jailed for biker’s death after reckless overtaking

A doctor in Britain whose dangerous driving caused the death of a motorcyclist has been sentenced to three years behind bars and had his driving licence suspended, reports the BBC. Dr Hammanjulde Hammawa (65) from Bedfordshire was overtaking a large heavy goods truck when he crashed his Mercedes into father-of-two Maciej Stepien (40) on his Yamaha motorcycle. The crash happened on 29 November 2022 near the Northamptonshire village of Hargrave. Having initially denied causing death by dangerous driving, Hammawa changed his plea to guilty and was sentenced to three years in prison. The court heard that the consultant was running late on his...

MEDICO-LEGAL

Doctor probed after teen dies during circumcision

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) is investigating a Bronkhorstspruit doctor after a teenage boy died, and another had to be admitted to hospital after both were seen in his rooms for what were supposed to be routine medical circumcisions, reports News24. SAPS has also opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy. Siyabonga Mbonani (13), and another 14-year-old boy both visited Dr Nimrod Thapelo Machebe’s practice – outside Pretoria  – on 2 July, and both were attended to simultaneously, according to their parents. Siyabonga’s mother, Nthabiseng Mbonani, said her son had been taken to the doctor with his...

Doctor has right to turn away patient, court rules

A Pretoria doctor who appealed against the HPCSA’s finding of negligence after he had refused to admit a private patient to Netcare Unitas Hospital in Centurion – after which the patient was taken to a public hospital where he died the next day – has successfully cleared his name. The Star reports that the High Court, on appeal, accepted that as a private practitioner, Dr Norbert Welkovics had the right to refuse to accept a patient, provided such refusal was exercised ethically. Welkovics had previously been suspended and fined by the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) conduct committee. The Gauteng...

Cardiologist's ‘gagging’ order against Carte Blanche overturned

A “gagging order” preventing Carte Blanche from broadcasting a programme about a Durban cardiologist accused of malpractice has been set aside, with the judge ordering the specialist to pay the costs, writes Tania Broughton for GroundUp. KZN High Court (Pietermaritzburg) Judge Siphokazi Jikela dismissed the application after ruling that the finalisation of the interdict, granted in early June by another judge, would “amount to an unjustified prior restraint and undermine the essential role of the media in a democratic society”. The matter came before Jikela for determination on whether or not the interim order should be made final. Dr Ntando Peaceman Duze, based at...

Medical scheme rejects member after cancer battle

A breast cancer patient who successfully challenged the Genesis Medical Scheme before the Council for Medical Schemes now finds herself in debt and without medical cover, reports Rapport. The 51-year-old woman was diagnosed with stage 2A breast cancer three months after joining the scheme last August. The scheme paid for two biopsies and a mastectomy in January, but failed to pay further treatment on the basis that the cancer spread to adjoining organs. She complained to the CMS that her lymph nodes are not “organs”. The CMS ruled in her’s favour on 31 May and ordered Genesis to fund treatment. However, Genesis has...

Limpopo staff accused of negligence in stillbirth case

A Musina Hospital is carrying out an investigation after accusations of negligence in the case of a patient who said she was left to give birth on her own, with no help, in a general ward. Her premature baby was born without a heartbeat, writes Maanda Bele for Health-e News. Monica Madumi (22), who was five months pregnant at the time, was admitted to the hospital on the evening of 28 June after her waters broke. Although a doctor initially said everything appeared normal, she was later told her womb had begun opening and that a miscarriage was likely. She claims...

Vet clinic forks out for emotional damages after dog burnt

The Pierre van Ryneveld Veterinary Clinic in Pretoria has to pay emotional damages to the owners of a Yorkshire Terrier – Triesie – who was burnt by a hot water bottle after surgery to repair a cruciate ligament jury, reports the Cape Argus. The dog’s owner, Riaan Nortje, had sued the vet for R400 000 for emotional distress, and in the Gauteng High Court this week, Deputy Judge President Aubrey Ledwaba granted the claim and ordered the veterinary clinic to pay the damages. Nortje also successfully claimed for travelling and related costs to visit Triesie at the clinic after her injuries. His...

Charges dropped against US doctor who destroyed Covid jabs

The United States Attorney-General has ordered charges to be dropped against a plastic surgeon accused of destroying Covid-19 vaccines worth $28 000, distributing fake vaccination record cards, and giving children saline shots instead of the vaccine at their parents’ request, reports the BBC. AG Pam Bondi said Dr Michael Kirk Moore Jr “gave his patients a choice when the government refused to do so”. He had been indicted by the Justice Department in 2023 and already been on trial in Utah, where he had pleaded not guilty to all charges, including conspiracy to defraud the US. Moore was accused of providing...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

DIET

Fasting benefits and fostering sustainable changes – global analysis

Although fasting – voluntary abstinence from food for a determined period – is traditionally associated with religious purposes, it has become popular today as a nutritional strategy, and as...

HOSPITAL MEDICINE

SA study highlights need to monitor IV antibiotic use in hospitals

The findings of a study analysing intravenous (IV) antibiotic usage in a private mining hospital in North West Province have emphasised the need for antibiotic stewardship to optimise treatment...

REPRODUCTIVE MEDICINE

Male birth control pill passes first safety test in men

American researchers have announced that an experimental pill for men that works by blocking sperm production has just passed its first safety test in humans – the hormone–free contraceptive...

NEUROLOGY

Dogs sniff out Parkinson’s years before symptoms – UK trial

People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) have an odour that can be reliably detected from skin swabs by trained dogs, a recent study has shown, during which the animals –...

TRANSPLANT MEDICINE

US transplant experts find new options for preserving more hearts

Two American university hospitals are pioneering new ways to expand lifesaving heart transplants for adults and babies – advances that their surgeons suggest could help recover would-be heart donations...

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

QUICK LINKS