Pharmaceutical manufacturer Adcock Ingram reported a 6% increase in total turnover, reaching R9.6 billion for the year ending in June. This growth was primarily driven by a rise in demand for the company’s winter products, as cold and flu cases and other respiratory illnesses surged. The company noted that it had increased its market share, maintaining its position as the…
Category: Archive
Every Health Matters article, newest first. Use the search or browse by month to find older reporting.
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Gauteng health department summoned over unpaid invoices
The Gauteng health portfolio committee has called on the provincial health department to explain why it failed to pay invoices during the first quarter of the 2024/25 financial year. This means Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko must appear before the committee to address the issue. The summons follows a report by Public Service Commissioner Vusumzi Mavuso, revealing that the department…
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Africa fights mpox outbreak amid vaccine challenges
African public health officials are working hard to prevent the same mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic as they tackle a deadly mpox outbreak. A key concern is the slow process of getting vaccines to the continent. The World Health Organisation recently declared the outbreak an international health emergency, prompting efforts to bring vaccines to Africa. These vaccines should arrive…
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New Jersey to erase $100m in medical debt for many residents
Governor Phil Murphy announced that nearly 50,000 people in New Jersey will have $100 million in medical debt erased. This move marks one of the most extensive state-led efforts to provide direct relief to residents struggling with medical bills. Governor Murphy allocated $550,000 from federal American Rescue Plan funds and partnered with the nonprofit organisation Undue Medical Debt, which buys…
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Ageing population will support the private healthcare sector
South Africa’s ageing medical scheme population will provide long-term support for private healthcare companies, according to Sanlam Private Wealth (SPW). The wealth manager, which oversees more than R200 billion in assets, said that the private healthcare sector’s performance depends on economic growth and the demand for services. SPW investment analyst Christiaan Bothma noted that economic growth could boost the sector.…
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NHI will be GNU’s sternest test
The standoff between business, healthcare professionals, and the presidency over the health compact is a clear sign of the difficulties for the government of national unity (GNU). The compact is the product of 202’s second presidential health summit. It has been rejected by Business Unity SA and the SA Health Professionals Collaboration because it expresses overt support for national health…
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SA’s path to universal health coverage is through NHI
Strengthening health systems is vital to achieving universal health coverage (UHC), a critical part of the United Nations’ third Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), which aims to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for everyone. As a member of the UN General Assembly and a signatory to the SDGs, South Africa is working to unify, integrate, and improve its health system…
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SA faces vision crisis amid unequal access to eye care
Avoidable blindness and vision impairment are significant global health issues. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that at least 1 billion people worldwide suffer from preventable or treatable vision problems. Around 11 million people in South Africa live with some degree of vision loss, including 370,000 classified as blind. Optometrists are crucial in preventing avoidable blindness caused by uncorrected refractive…
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WHO sounds alarm on $4bn funding gap for Mpox
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the latest mpox outbreak in Africa an international health emergency, urging global support. However, there is a severe lack of funds to combat the potentially deadly virus. To control the spread of Mpox in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and neighbouring countries, significant efforts are needed in surveillance, public health education, and…
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EU raises Mpox risk level after new strain found in Sweden
On Friday, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) raised its risk level for Mpox after a new strain of the virus was found outside Africa for the first time, in Sweden. The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared Mpox a global public health emergency following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that spread to nearby…
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Healthcare groups refuse to sign President’s Health Compact
Nine healthcare professional bodies, representing over 25,000 practitioners in South Africa, have announced that they will not sign the president’s health compact. Under the banner of the South African Health Professionals Collaboration (SAHPC), these organisations argue that the compact is primarily an attempt to secure support for the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act. The SAHPC claims the compact is biased…
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Gauteng health department loses R570m of unspent funds
The Gauteng health department will have to return R570 million to the government after failing to spend R1.1 billion allocated for the 2023/24 financial year. The department had requested to roll over R780 million but received approval from the Treasury to roll over only R530 million. This information was shared by Arnold Malotana, the head of the department, during a…