News

‘Infection prevention and control spending rises as drug resistance grows’

08 Oct 2026
SA’s rising antimicrobial resistance is driving greater investment in hospital infection prevention and control. – SA Today (7 Oct 2026)
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Medicine Shortages: Experts Call for Patient-Access Measures

08 Oct 2026
SA should measure medicine shortages by whether patients receive their full treatment on time, rather than relying solely on stock levels. - Daily Maverick (7 Oct 2026).
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Cancer deaths may double by 2050

08 Oct 2026
SA’s cancer deaths are projected to nearly double from about 64,000 in 2024 to 127,000 by 2050, driven mainly by population ageing and lifestyle changes. – Spotlight (7 October 2026)
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CMS releases Annual Report

08 Oct 2026
Formal complaints to the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) rose by 25.1% in 2025/26, according to the CMS Annual Report. Meanwhile, total benefits paid by medical schemes increased by 8.52% to R259.3bn in 2024. – CMS (7 Oct 2026)
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FuturePharma to reduce SA’s reliance on imported drugs

08 Oct 2026
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has recently launched FuturePharma, a facility designed to expand local API manufacturing and reduce SA’s reliance on imports. According to the CSIR, local pharmaceutical manufacturers import 98% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) they need, costing R15bn a year. – Business Times (8 October 2026)
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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, reportedFinancial 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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Activists demands change in intellectual property laws

10 Nov 2021

Activists from Fix the Patent Laws Campaign (FTPL) urged government to change intellectual property laws to allow more people to access lifesaving medicine for serious ailments such as cancer, HIV, Covid, tuberculosis, mental health and diabetes.

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