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Wednesday, 30 July, 2025

FOCUS: PUBLIC HEALTH

Anti-foreigner group ups ante at healthcare facilities

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
Despite warnings against vigilantism, the controversial March on March movement is extending its campaign to several other hospitals and clinics in KwaZulu-Natal, and elsewhere, in its campaign to prevent healthcare access to foreign nationals. Although, for the past six weeks, members of the movement have been guarding various public hospital and clinic entrances and aggressively denying entry to anyone who is not South African or who is suspected of being an undocumented migrant, there appears to be little action from...
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Africa braces for spike in mosquito-borne diseases after US cuts

Venilla Yoganathan - 0
The withdrawal of US funding could see a worsening of mosquito-borne diseases and a reversal in the progress made in beating the spread, with Zimbabwe now being pummelled by a surge in malaria cases, and the WHO warning that chikungunya is spreading rapidly from several Indian Ocean islands into Africa. However, scientists and leaders in the field are also optimistic about interventions to help reduce the infection rates, with encouraging results from a study using Ivermectin as a treatment along...
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NEWS UPDATE

Heads to roll after mental patients froze to death in Northern Cape hospitals

An investigation into the treatment, complications and deaths of psychiatric patients at the Northern Cape Mental Health Hospital (NCMHH) and the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital (RMSH) has uncovered alarming levels of systemic failure, gross negligence and widespread mismanagement – which all contributed directly to patient harm and in some cases death, according to Health Ombud Professor Taole Mokoena. TimesLIVE reports that yesterday Moekena released the findings of a probe, initiated at the request of Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi, into the deaths of two patients at the NCMHH and admission of two others to the RMSH in critical condition in July...

Health Budget: new hospitals, upgrades and millions for HIV projects

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said a new central hospital is under construction, that there are also plans to develop another three academic hospitals – in provinces that do not have any – and that three existing central hospitals are to be completely overhauled. And, in his budget vote presentation to the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday, he also announced that R750m has been allocated to the country’s HIV response, reports News24. An 11th central hospital, a “flagship hospital”, is among the facilities which will receive a budget allocation over the next year, he said. Limpopo Central Hospital, which is 26%...

KZN Health MEC demands probe into corruption claims

KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Health Nomagugu Simelane has called for Premier Thami Ntuli to investigate the allegations of corruption levelled against her, making the remarks at the 2025/26 budget debate and vote at the provincial legislature on Tuesday. IOL reports that the total health budget is R56.2bn, and Simelane promised it would go towards clinic upgrades, improvements to the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and interventions to enhance service delivery within the department. However, in her speech, she also said members of the Provincial Legislature, particularly those from the uMkhonto weSizwe Party (MKP), should write to Ntuli, the Auditor-General of South Africa, and...

Rehab centre manager arrested after patient beaten to death

The owner of a rehabilitation centre in Limpopo has been arrested after the death of a 29-year-old man, who endured severe beatings during the eight days he was at the facility before dying in hospital. TimesLIVE reports that the centre owner (30) has been charged with murder. The patient had been taken from his home in Ga-Sekgopo village on 2 July to the centre in the Modjadjiskloof area, where, according to police, he was assaulted and locked up in isolation. However, he struggled to walk and was unable to bathe – and then returned to his home on 10 July. When his...

Companies linked to Mashatile's sons scoop R49m Gauteng hospital tender

Two companies with links to Deputy President Paul Mashatile’s sons were paid R36.4m – and are owed a further R12.6m – for a Gauteng Government contract servicing fire alarms and sprinkler systems at public hospitals, reports News24. In June 2022, the Gauteng Department of Infrastructure Development, acting as an implementing agent for the Department of Health, awarded a panel contract to Ngwato and Manzi Group (NMG) and Modipadi Nokaneng for the work. The contracts are due to lapse in November 2025. An investigation by News24 found that half-brothers Thabiso Mashatile and Tinyiko Mvelase played critical roles at NMG, which has shown...

Forensic report exposes extent of state hospital oxygen tender fraud

The breathtaking scale of the fraud involved in a mega-million-rand project to install oxygen generation plant at dozens of government hospitals has been revealed by Public Works Minister Dean Macpherson, reports Daily Maverick. The forensic investigation, conducted by PwC, came after Daily Maverick’s revelations in October 2024 that an apparent “ghost company” had clinched the largest portion of the R836m project – for 55 hospitals – for which the Independent Development Trust (IDT) had issued a tender. Follow-up reports by Daily Maverick and amaBhungane revealed more red flags regarding the contracts awarded to Bulkeng and a joint venture made up of Maziya...

SA would-be paramedics arrested in Ukraine

Two South Africans who thought they were to be trained as medical orderlies in the Ukraine have instead been arrested for desertion, after being forced into military training on their arrival in that country and then trying to flee. Their recruiter, a South African serving in Ukraine’s special forces, claimed the two – Jhovan Mynhardt and Tyrone Slabbert – knew the job’s risks before they left, reports News24. Their families are working with South Africa’s embassy for assistance and are concerned about allegations that the men may have unintentionally disclosed a military base’s location in the war-torn country. Mynhardt (32) from Cape Town and...

FDA’s chief medical officer Prasad quits

Vinay Prasad, the US Food and Drug Administration’s chief medical and science officer, has left the health regulator, the Department of Health and Human Services – which oversees the FDA – has confirmed. The department said that Prasad “did not want to be a distraction to the great work of the FDA in the Trump administration and has decided to return to California and spend more time with his family”, reports Reuters. “We thank him for his service and the many important reforms he was able to achieve in his time at FDA.” Endpoints News was the first to report Prasad’s departure,...

Payout for vaccine injuries plan gets reboot from Kennedy

US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr says he plans to tweak the country’s compensation system for people harmed by vaccines, noting that in its current format, it merely protects vaccine makers from liability, and needs to be reworked. The compensation fund has paid out $5.4bn to 12 000 petitioners, but Kennedy has described it as “inefficient and corrupt”, arguing that it “no longer functions to achieve its Congressional intent”. “The Vaccine Injury Compensation Programme is broken, and I intend to fix it,” he wrote on X. “I will not allow it to continue to ignore its mandate and fail its...

Major reform after shoddy practices of US organ transplant companies exposed

US Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr has threatened to close deficient organ procurement organisations after investigations uncovered disturbing practices, including procedures starting while patients were still showing signs of life. The department has announced a major reformative initiative, with Kennedy warning that the organ procurement companies that co-ordinate access to transplants will be held accountable. “The entire system must be fixed to ensure every potential donor’s life is treated with the sanctity it deserves,” he said. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) has also been ordered to reopen a case involving potentially preventable harm to...

Kennedy officially rescinds certain flu jabs

The US has formally rescinded federal recommendations for all flu jabs containing thimerosal – a mercury-based preservative that the anti-vaccine movement has falsely linked to autism – in a decision experts say is unlikely to affect most Americans seeking vaccines. The preservative is added to multidose vials of flu vaccines to prevent bacteria from growing, but is not an ingredient of the single-dose vials administered to most people, reports The New York Times. During the 2024-25 respiratory virus season, only 3% of children and 2% of older adults received flu vaccines containing thimerosal, according to an analysis of electronic health records by...

China finds massive cover-up in lead poisoning of 200 children

An official investigation has found that dozens of provincial officials and hospital staff tried to cover up a lead poisoning case that made hundreds of children sick in north-west China and sparked widespread outrage. Authorities have said that officials tampered with the blood tests of the pupils who were poisoned at the privately-owned Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui city, and had also accepted bribes from an investor in the school while neglecting food safety inspections across several other pre-schools, their report said. Chefs at the facility had added colourful toxic paint to pupils’ food to “enhance the look” of the meals and...

Call for action as SA loses 6 000 doctors and nurses annually

Experts warn that urgent intervention is needed to deal with the staffing crisis in the healthcare sector, which has seen almost 6 000 doctors and nurses resigning every year from government facilities – nearly 125 000 altogether since 2013. Recommendations include improving working conditions, upgrading infrastructure and developing incentive programmes for rural service – these, plus below-market salaries, all helping to drive professionals toward private practice or overseas opportunities, they observed. The National Department of Health has previously attributed part of the problem to a reluctance to work in rural areas during the compulsory community service, but recent parliamentary data reveal...

Celebrity osteopath imprisoned for voyeurism in London

An osteopath branded “one of London’s most prolific voyeurs” and who secretly filmed and photographed up to 2 000 women as they undressed, showered and engaged in sexual acts, has been jailed for more than eight years in England. The 64-year-old Danish man amassed the footage at his clinic north-east London, as well as at beaches, footpaths, bus stops and Tube stations for more than a decade, and will now spend three years and five months behind bars after admitting eight counts of voyeurism. The Telegraph reports that father-of-one Torben Stig Hersborg boasted a celebrity client list, none of whom is...

Nurses allegedly ignored patient who miscarried at KZN hospital

Hospital staff allegedly left a young patient ignored and unattended during and after her miscarriage, with the woman being forced to sit with the dead foetus between her legs for hours afterwards. The 23‑year‑old – from the rural village of Esithumaba in KwaZulu‑Natal – has been traumatised by the experience at St Mary’s Hospital in Mariannhill, outside Durban, reports Phumzile Mkhungo for Health-e News. Notile Mkhize, who was 18 weeks’ pregnant, said that when she arrived at the hospital at noon on a Friday, in severe pain, staff told her that her cervix was dilating and that a miscarriage was likely....

Angry patient attacks Limpopo clinic nurse

Police are seeking information about a man who allegedly assaulted a nurse at the Tshitavha Sambandou Clinic in Limpopo on Monday night, reports TimesLIVE. The man arrived at the clinic soon after midnight demanding immediate treatment, said a police spokesperson, before apparently insulting staff and physically assaulting the nurse, injuring her face. “She screamed for help and when three colleagues arrived to assist, he fled.”   TimesLIVE article – Nurse ‘assaulted’ at Limpopo clinic by angry patient (Restricted access)   See more from MedicalBrief archives:   Patient charged for assaulting nurse   Increasing violent attacks put state healthcare workers at risk   Nurses union threatens legal action over security concerns

MEDICO-LEGAL

Anaesthetists group urges caution after circumcision death

Experts have said caution should be exercised when administering the anaesthetic lignocaine, particularly in consulting rooms, and that although it is a safe, commonly used medication when properly used, incorrect dosing and not following procedures after an overdose could be fatal. This comes after a 13-year-old boy died and another was admitted to hospital after visiting a private GP in Bronkhorstspruit for routine circumcisions, and mistakenly being overdosed with lignocaine, reports New24. The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has confirmed an unprofessional conduct investigation is under way, while police were also investigating the circumstances that led to Siyabonga Mbonani’s...

Call for action as SA loses 6 000 doctors and nurses annually

Experts warn that urgent intervention is needed to deal with the staffing crisis in the healthcare sector, which has seen almost 6 000 doctors and nurses resigning every year from government facilities – nearly 125 000 altogether since 2013. Recommendations include improving working conditions, upgrading infrastructure and developing incentive programmes for rural service – these, plus below-market salaries, all helping to drive professionals toward private practice or overseas opportunities, they observed. The National Department of Health has previously attributed part of the problem to a reluctance to work in rural areas during the compulsory community service, but recent parliamentary data reveal...

Nurses allegedly ignored patient who miscarried at KZN hospital

Hospital staff allegedly left a young patient ignored and unattended during and after her miscarriage, with the woman being forced to sit with the dead foetus between her legs for hours afterwards. The 23‑year‑old – from the rural village of Esithumaba in KwaZulu‑Natal – has been traumatised by the experience at St Mary’s Hospital in Mariannhill, outside Durban, reports Phumzile Mkhungo for Health-e News. Notile Mkhize, who was 18 weeks’ pregnant, said that when she arrived at the hospital at noon on a Friday, in severe pain, staff told her that her cervix was dilating and that a miscarriage was likely....

Surgeon chopped off his own legs for insurance payout

A British vascular surgeon who told insurers he’d had his legs amputated due to sepsis has been charged with fraud – after he’d claimed nearly £500 000 from Arriva Group ( £235 622), and Old Mutual (£231 031). Neil Hopper (49), who carried out hundreds of amputations before having his own legs removed below the knees, told insurers that the leg injuries were the “result of sepsis and were not self-inflicted”, intending to make a gain. The Independent reports that he has also been charged with encouraging someone else to remove the body parts of others. Hopper appeared before Cornwall Magistrate’s Court...

US doctor faces 40 years over actor Matthew Perry's ketamine death

One of the doctors accused of providing ketamine to American actor Matthew Perry (54), who died in October 2023, has pleaded guilty to four counts of distribution and faces 10 years in prison for each count, reports CNN. Salvador Plasencia – who is out on bail – will face a statutory maximum sentence of a decade behind bars for each count at his sentencing hearing on 3 December. His attorneys say he will surrender his medical licence in the next six weeks, and “is profoundly remorseful for the treatment decisions he made while providing ketamine to Matthew Perry”. He also acknowledges...

SOME RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS IN THE PAST WEEK

DIABETES

New type 1 diabetes tied to African patients – cross-sectional study

Researchers have suggested their recent discovery could change how type 1 diabetes is diagnosed and managed in people of African descent, with the study findings being described as “a...

HEALTH AND FITNESS

Australian meta-analysis debunks 10 000 daily steps goal

Australian researchers have suggested that averaging between 5 000 and 7 000 steps a day can be linked to a significant reduction in risks of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease...

MENTAL HEALTH

UK study explores effectiveness of OTC anti-depressants

Over-the-counter (OTC) products like St John’s wort and omega-3s have long been touted for helping with depression, but after 64 different products were tested in clinical trials, researchers found...

NUTRITION

Eggs off the cholesterol hook – Australian study

Recent research from the University of South Australia (UniSA) suggests that eggs, despite their cholesterol content, aren't the dietary villains they’ve long been made out to be. Instead, it’s...

NEUROLOGY

New drug could halt Alzheimer’s

Research presented at the recent Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto offers hope that a new drug could halt the progression of the disease, the trials suggesting that the...

Early-stage Alzheimer’s may be beaten with diet, lifestyle changes

After 40 weeks of intensive lifestyle changes, early stage Alzheimer’s patients’ cognition improved and amyloid levels in the brain had been significantly reduced, findings shared at the 2025 Alzheimer’s Association...

ONCOLOGY

Researchers move closer to a universal cancer vaccine – US study

A universal cancer vaccine may be inching closer to becoming reality, after University of Florida researchers suggested last week that findings from their recent study could lead to the development...

PHARMACEUTICAL

Animal manure packed with antibiotic resistant genes – 14-year global study

A massive collaborative study undertaken by Chinese and US researchers – who sampled 4 017 manure specimens from pigs, chickens and cattle in 26 countries over 14 years –...

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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