News
Measles cases on the increase
21 Apr 2026
New surveillance data from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) between 29 December 2025 and 12 April 2026 revealed 1,076 laboratory-confirmed measles cases nationally. – TimesLive (21 April 2026).
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Diabetes is becoming a ‘loud national emergency’
21 Apr 2026
SA’s diabetes burden is moving from “silent epidemic” to loud national emergency. – Daily Maverick (20 April 2026)
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China overtakes the US In pharmaceutical research
20 Apr 2026
The global pharmaceutical industry has shifted from Western dominance to a bipolar system led by the United States and China, reported Bloomberg (20 April 2026).
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Malaria cases on the rise in Gauteng
20 Apr 2026
Gauteng Health released an urgent warning following the rise in malaria cases and deaths in the province, reported TimesLive (20 April 2026).
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New study raises concerns about free AI chatbots
15 Apr 2026
Much of the medical advice provided by free generative AI chatbots is inaccurate and have potentially dangerous limitations, reported Business Day (15 April 2026).
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Global healthcare worker migration crisis escalates
15 Apr 2026
The World Health Organisation (WHO) predicts a global shortfall of 11m health workers by 2030. Africa is expected to bear the brunt of this, with a predicted shortage of 5 to 6m workers. – The Conversation (14 April 2026)
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Gauteng launches new strategy to tackle backlog
14 Apr 2026
The Gauteng Department of Health has introduced a strategy to tackle a backlog of over 30,600 patients, mostly long-standing “legacy” cases. – The Citizen (14 April 2026)
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Healthbridge launces AI tools for doctors
14 Apr 2026
Health technology giant Healthbridge is going is investing in millions in AI tools for doctors, its CEO, Luis da Silva, told MyBroadband (4 April 2026).
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SA’s sick clinics are failing its people
14 Apr 2026
Only 54.9% of SA’s clinics (2029 – 2020) met the required standard for proper healthcare, according to a report by the Rural Health Advocacy Project (RHAP), - Pressreader (11 April 2026)
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The Constitution demands NHI and so does the evidence
14 Apr 2026
When the Board of Healthcare Funders, the Hospital Association of South Africa, and the South African Private Practitioners Forum appear before the Constitutional Court from 5 – 7 May to challenge the NHI Act they will speak the language of rights and constitutionalism: freedom of choice, provincial autonomy, fair public participation.
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Removal of medical tax credits on the cards
17 Oct 2025
“With significant legal and logistical uncertainty still surrounding the NHI's implementation, making precipitous changes to the tax system could have unforeseen and damaging consequences for millions of South Africans.” - Business Day(17 October 2025)
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Pharma faces billions in costs due to new tariffs
29 Jul 2025
“The pharmaceutical industry is bracing for a significant financial blow, with analysts forecasting costs of between $13bn and $19bn following the revelation that a new transatlantic trade deal will subject branded medicines to a hefty 15% tariff.” – Reuters (28 July 2025)
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Life Healthcare backs collaboration to tackle healthcare crisis
27 Nov 2024
Life Healthcare CEO Peter Wharton-Hood has backed a call for greater collaboration between the government and private healthcare providers to address South Africa’s pressing healthcare challenges. This follows a proposal by Netcare CEO Richard Friedland, who suggested adding healthcare as the fourth pillar in an existing government-business partnership focused on revitalising the economy.
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Discovery Life claims back to pre-Covid levels
19 Apr 2024
“Discovery Life distributed R10.3bn to its clients, a decrease from the R11bn paid the previous year,” reported Business Day (19April 2024)
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Hundreds of websites found selling fake weight-loss drugs
16 Apr 2024
Reuters reported on 15 April that the cybersecurity company BrandShield has shut down over 250 websites selling counterfeit versions of popular drugs used for weight loss and diabetes treatment within the GLP-1 class.
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