News
Turning point in battle for LCBOs
08 Oct 2025
The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) agreed to hear arguments from the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) following a High Court ruling to block the introduction of low-cost benefit options (LCBOs) into the market, reported Business Day (8 October2025)
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Irregular sleep linked to 22% higher mortality risk
08 Oct 2025
People with irregular sleep patterns that get less than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night face a 22% higher mortality risk than the general population, according to Discovery’s latest research. – (Business Day 8 October 2025)
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Trio honoured with 2025 Nobel Prize for Immune System Discovery
07 Oct 2025
Reuters reported on 7 October that American scientists Mary Brunkow and Fred Ramsdell, alongside their Japanese colleague Shimon Sakaguchi, have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
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African must take charge of healthcare financing
03 Oct 2025
The future of African health financing must be forged in Africa itself, said Finance Minister Encoch Godongwane at an African Union event in Johannesburg – Bloomberg (2 October 2025)
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Medical schemes premium hikes way above inflation
02 Oct 2025
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SAHPRA launches programme to register medical devices
02 Oct 2025
The SA Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) has announced that it plans to introduce the registration of medical devices in a phased manner, “starting with the highest-risk products, such as heart valves, and working down to lower-risk items”. – Spotlight (2 October2025)
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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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RAF bid to appeal judgment on claim requirements
06 Dec 2023
On 5 December 2023 the Pretoria High Court rejected the Road Accident Fund’s (RAF) request to reconsider a previous verdict from November, reported Business Day.
“The ruling mandated eliminating the stringent new requirements for filing claims outlined in a 2021 board notice.”
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Covid-19 vaccines: ‘Health Department squandered the opportunity’
07 Sep 2023
“Health activists are right to draw attention to this grossly unfair situation. (Covid-19 vaccine deals) But the far bigger scandal is that the Health Department squandered the opportunity after spending an estimated R14-bn on Covid-19 jabs and belatedly filling its warehouses with enough doses to vaccinate the nation” – Business Day (7 September 2023).
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EDITORIAL: Health Minister must halt care crisis
20 Jan 2023
NHI, the government’s plan for universal health coverage, rests heavily on nurse-led care. Yet where these nurses will come from is a mystery. – Editorial (
Business Day 20 January 2023).
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Study raises concerns about quality of hospital meals
12 Jan 2023
According to a study of meals served at Cape Town hospitals the food served to hospital patients are way below the health department “ration scale” and patients’ energy requirements, reported
Financial Mail (12 January 2023).
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Health Minister’s comment provides ‘some comfort to medical scheme industry’
15 Jun 2022
Health Minister Joe Phaahla’s comment that NHI will be implemented step-by-step - gradually phasing out the role of medical schemes in the private sector - should provide some comfort to these private healthcare services, according to Business Day (15 June 2022)
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