Medical Brief news updates “Africa’s Medical News Digest”. Visit Medical Brief website here or see the feed summary below.
- Hospital forced to close after R300m RAF debtA refusal by the Road Accident Fund (RAF) to pay a private hospital for crash victims it treated led to spiralling debt and the eventual closure of the Gauteng facility, with millions still owed, the CEO has said. He said the outstanding payments of R300m forced the hospital to close,… Read more »
- Plunge in public healthcare services after Pepfar cutsNearly half of hundreds of public health facilities surveyed by the community-led monitoring group Ritshidze have been operating at a reduced capacity since the Pepfar cuts earlier this year, with increased waiting times, staff shortages and failing filing systems, reports Daily Maverick. The Ritshidze team has sounded the alarm after… Read more »
- SA firms lose out on lenacapavir productionSouth African companies were excluded from Gilead Science’s voluntary licensing for the anti-HIV drug lenacapavir because those that were evaluated in 2024 did not satisfy the technical specifications for the production of sterile injectables at that time, reports AP. According to Wendy Cupido, country manager for Gilead, the company was,… Read more »
- Neurologist shortage not unique to South Africa – MotsoalediHealth Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has defended his department against accusations of healthcare system collapse, saying the global shortage of specialists was partly to blame for the current crisis, reports The Citizen. His response comes after it emerged that Limpopo has only one neurologist, with patients allegedly having to wait until… Read more »
- Gauteng Health spends R20m on new clinic wall as old facility crumblesSpending R20m on building only a wall at a yet-to-be-constructed clinic is “a reckless waste of taxpayers’ money by the Gauteng Department of Health, particularly as the existing clinic is in a serious state of disrepair, jeopardising staff and patients’ health and safety”, the DA has said. In a statement,… Read more »
- Medicines smuggling probe after ARVs found at bus crash siteAn investigation has been launched after the discovery of dozens of packs of ARVs and prescription drugs amid the wreckage of a fatal bus accident in Limpopo last week, in which 43 passengers lost their lives and 48 were injured, reports The Citizen. The vehicle, which was apparently overloaded and… Read more »
- Gqeberha's Livingstone Hospital still without CEO – seven years laterThe Eastern Cape Department of Health says it is advertising the CEO post for Livingstone Tertiary Hospital for the third time – seven years after Thulane Madonsela and his management were forced out of the job, reports Daily Maverick. On 31 October 2018, the last permanent CEO at the Gqeberha… Read more »
- Glenda Gray in UCT funding stormFormer president of the South African Medical Research Council and current University of Cape Town (UCT) council member Professor Glenda Gray has lodged a complaint against two fellow council members for allegedly violating UCT’s code of conduct. News24 reports that the complaint is apparently linked to the withdrawal of funding… Read more »
- FDA flags burns, scarring from skin procedureThe US Food & Drug Administration has warned about the potential for serious injuries with radiofrequency (RF) microneedling for skin procedures, after a series of reports of burns, scarring, disfigurement and nerve damage. The agency said it was working with manufacturers of the class II medical devices with the hopes… Read more »
- Infant immunisations drop in Western CapeThe Western Cape Department of Health & Wellness has sounded an urgent alarm over a steep decline in infant vaccination coverage across the province, with data showing a concerning 27.6% drop from the critical 95% target, putting many infants at immediate risk of diseases like measles, polio, TB and whooping… Read more »
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