Posts tagged with 'South Africa'

 

‘Fire thousands of nurses who cheated’

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A medical law expert has called for the thousands of qualified nurses who cheated in mid-year bridging exams to be struck off the roll. “It would be tantamount to gross negligence to allow these nurses to practise,” said pharmacist, ethicist and medical law practitioner Shafrudeen Amod. On May 10, staff nurses with a two-year qualification..
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Africa gets generic version of most effective HIV drug

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NAIROBI – The generic version of the most advanced drug against HIV has been introduced in Kenya, a first in Africa where more than 25m have the disease, the NGO Unitaid said. The drug, Dolutegravir (DTG) is the anti-retroviral drug of choice for those living with HIV in developed countries, but its high price has..
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Shortage of National cancer drug may last until October

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A deadly national cancer drug shortage is approaching its third month and patients may have to go without until October – if they can make it. In February, Nic Basson was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a fast-growing malignant brain tumour, which is located in his brain’s language centre and affects his ability to communicate. He..
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Hospital cash-back plans crimped by new law

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The demarcation regulations clearly distinguish between medical insurance products and medical aid schemes. For the consumer, this means that while limited gap cover and hospital cash-back plans will still be allowed, primary healthcare insurance policies will no longer be available. All existing policies will need to align with the regulations from 1 January 2018. Affected..
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The most expensive and cheapest medical aids in SA for 2017

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The latest GTC Medical Aid Survey for 2017 has been released, which compares local medical aid schemes on cost to members across various levels of cover. According to GTC, medical aids are complicated schemes, and comparing them is an almost impossible task; however it has developed a review process that compares schemes across specific categories,..
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Non-invasive scan for liver disease

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In the past the only way to measure a liver’s elasticity was through a biopsy, but now, a non-invasive alternative has emerged, whereby elasticity of a patient’s liver can be measured using vibration-controlled transient elastography (VCTE). Adopted as a frontline tool for assessing liver fibrosis by the European Association for the Study of the Liver..
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Healtcare Services Delivery need to change in Africa

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Healthcare services delivery in Africa needs to change, but no-one is quite certain how. What is certain is that future trends will be driven by access to big data, to shape new models of care in driving innovative, affordable and accessible services, across this diverse continent. With 1,2bn people, many enjoying a longer life, and..
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South Africans are urged by dietitians to ‘Eat Fact Not Fiction’ June 2017

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Nutrition advice promising all sorts, from weight loss to healthier living and even cures for diseases, spread like wildfire across social media. In the era of ‘alternative facts’ and post-truth, ‘the latest, greatest nutrition advice’ from dubious sources can unfortunately tempt many away from accepted dietary guidelines and recommendations based on years of evidence. ‘Eat..
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Genesis wins case on accounting for use of medical savings funds

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On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court ruled that all funds paid by members to their schemes should be considered as assets, regardless of their intended use. Genesis medical scheme has won its legal battle with the Council of Medical Schemes over how to account for the funds in members’ medical savings accounts (MSAs), a development that..
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Day hospitals: The answer to rising health costs?

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South Africans are faced with the constant increases in the cost of living and an ailing economy, forcing consumers to cut down on spending across the board. For a small percentage of the population, healthcare costs are covered by medical aid, but only an estimated 16% of South Africans have such coverage while the rest..
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