News

HPV vaccination programme for schools shows great success

20 Mar 2026
V vaccination programme is showing strong real-world success, significantly reducing infections with high-risk HPV-16 and HPV-18 strains among teenage girls. Research from Wits University found over an 80% drop in these strains in vaccinated girls compared with unvaccinated peers. The school-based initiative, launched in 2014, protects girls before sexual debut and remains effective even among those who later acquire HIV. The findings support continued investment in vaccination and suggest even greater benefits could come from adopting broader-coverage vaccines in future. – Business Day (20 March 2026)
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Medical scheme audits ‘traumatise’ physiotherapists

20 Mar 2026
Physiotherapists say medical scheme forensic audits are leaving them “fearful, stigmatised and traumatised”, according to new research from the University of Pretoria (UP). – Times LIVE (19 March 2026).
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Children go hungry while millions aren’t spent

20 Mar 2026
“In 2024, R197m was budgeted for the Department of Basic Education’s implementation of a pilot nutrition programme for early childhood development (ECD) centres, going up to R336m the following financial year,” reported Daily Maverick (20 March 2026).
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Momentum Bonitas deal lifts market share to 30%

20 Mar 2026
On 19 March Bloomberg reported: “The Momentum Bonitas deal is set to reshape SA’s tightly concentrated medical scheme administration market after Momentum Health won the tender to administer the Bonitas Medical Fund. The transfer takes effect on 1 June 2026 and is being positioned by Momentum as a springboard for further growth in a sector dominated by a handful of large players.” Momentum’s share of the medical scheme administ
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Bonitas-Medscheme row threatens jobs

19 Mar 2026
The dispute between Medscheme and Bonitas Medical Fund could place up to 5 000 jobs at risk, according to Paul Hanratty, CEO of Sanlam. Sanlam owns Medscheme through its majority stake of 60 % in AfroCentric. While Hanratty described the conflict as financially manageable, he warned of severe human consequences if Medscheme loses its Bonitas contract, which accounts for about 40% of its revenue. – MedicalBrief (19 March 2026)
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AI-driven prompts to help detect serious illness

19 Mar 2026
According to Discovery AI-driven health prompts are helping clients detect serious illnesses earlier, particularly cancer. – Business Day (18 March 2026)
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Patent expiry for semaglutide to result in cheaper generics

19 Mar 2026
India is set for a major shift as the patent on semaglutide—used in Ozempic and Wegovy by Novo Nordisk- expires on 20 March 2026. - BBC (19 March 2026)
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TrakCare outage exposes backup power gaps at NHLS

19 Mar 2026
SA’s National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) reported a major disruption to TrakCare, its information system, leaving clinicians unable to access patient results and affecting care nationwide. – Daily Maverick (18 March 2026) The disruption also caused delays in specimen registration and testing disrupted clinical decisions, especially in emergencies. The incident revived concerns about system resilience following a 2024 cyberattack. The outage, linked to power failures at its Johannesburg headquarters, highlighted the absence of adequate backup systems. Authorities confirmed it was not a cybersecurity breach, and data integrity remains intact.
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Parmed Membership: MPs Push to End Compulsory Cover

19 Mar 2026
The debate over perks for politicians has shifted to medical medical shemes, with ActionSA MP Kgosi Letlape campaigning to end compulsory membership of the Parmed Medical Scheme for MPs, arguing for choice and affordability, reported - Business Day (19 March 2026)
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Ramaphosa asking for trouble

16 Mar 2026
Trade union Solidarity, which has a pending legal case against NHI legislation, is investigating whether Pres Cyril Ramaphosa is in breach of a recent Court Order that Government may not take any further implementation or development steps regarding the NHI Act until the Constitutional Court has delivered a ruling in the pending legal cases regarding the Act. - Daily Investor (13 March 2026)
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SA Professional Stress Index: A New Persistent Reality

16 Mar 2026
A study for Profmed, released by the SA Professional Stress Index 2025, revealed that 44.05% of 4 000 respondents admitted that sustained strain is negatively impacting their long-term physical and mental health. – Business Day (16 March 2026)
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Window to fix NHI governance gaps

16 Mar 2026
Following a High Court order, Government has agreed to halt the proclamation and implementation of the NHI Act. This suspension will remain in place until the Constitutional Court rules on challenges regarding public participation. – Spotlight (13 March 2026)
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The end of global health funding’s golden age

16 Mar 2026
“The ‘golden age’ of global health funding has reached a definitive end. Funding accelerated in the early 2000s and spiked during the pandemic. However, it began falling sharply after 2021. Experts now warn that we are entering an era of deep uncertainty,” reported Bloomberg (15 March 2026)
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Aspen warns of lenacapavir demand risks

16 Mar 2026
SA’s leading generic drug manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare, warned that local production of the breakthrough HIV prevention injection lenacapavir will only be viable if manufacturers are guaranteed demand. – Business Day (16 Marh 2026)
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Dr Nicholas Crisp’s view of NHI and corruption

09 Mar 2026
Recent corruption allegations in the Department of Health have not shaken confidence in a NHI, said Deputy Director-General of Health Dr Nicholas Crisp in an interview with Sunday Times (8 March 2026)
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