Category: August 2024

A professor from Wits University has received a R46 million grant to research ways to reduce deaths from bacterial and fungal infections in people with HIV/AIDS. The UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) awarded Professor Nelesh Govender one of seven prestigious five-year global research professorships. This programme funds research that benefits people in low- and middle-income countries.…

In early 2023, a mysterious little black box was brought into the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, next to the White House’s West Wing. Inside, it contained a dozen test tubes with ingredients for a potential disaster: engineered DNA that, if assembled correctly, could cause a pandemic. This box was a dramatic demonstration. The man behind it, Rocco Casagrande, didn’t create…

Sizwe Hosmed Medical Scheme has hired KPMG to investigate a R162 million under-provision for claims from Hosmed members when it merged with Sizwe in late 2021. Last month, the scheme was placed under statutory management because its solvency ratio dropped below 20%. According to Sizwe Hosmed’s principal officer, Nozibele Tshobeni, an internal investigation found under-provision for Hosmed claims. Sizwe Hosmed…

Lerato Mthunzi, general secretary of the Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union, criticised the approval of the Gauteng health budget, saying it ignores fundamental problems. She said they are not focusing on the basics: human resources, material resources, and infrastructure improvements needed to enhance patient care and reduce hospital mortality rates. Mthunzi also accused top management of covering up…

As financial pressures continue, more people opt for cheaper health insurance instead of traditional medical aid. At a healthcare insights summit last week, Momentum discussed how economic challenges affect healthcare choices. Damian McHugh, chief marketing officer at Momentum, highlighted a 5% increase in new members joining Momentum Health4Me, their health insurance scheme, in the last six months. Health insurance, cheaper…

Due to financial issues, the Sizwe Hosmed Medical Scheme is now under statutory management by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS). An independent audit will investigate if fraud was involved in its creation three years ago. It has been reported that the audit will determine if Hosmed failed to disclose about R162 million in claims in its financial statements during…

The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) has advised medical schemes in South Africa to keep their 2025 contribution increases within the South African Reserve Bank’s (SARB) inflation forecast of 4.4%. This should include reasonable estimates of benefit usage. This recommendation aims to help members keep their medical cover. The CMS said consumers face severe financial pressure due to high interest…

GPs in England will limit patient appointments to 25 a day, following BMA’s new work-to-rule action due to funding disputes. This could potentially disrupt NHS services. GPs in England will now limit the number of patients they see daily. This comes after the British Medical Association (BMA) announced new work-to-rule actions. GPs can now cap appointments at 25 a day.…

Doctors and healthcare professionals want to choose where they work. They want the freedom to decide whether to work for the state or start their own practice in their hometown or elsewhere. Once they set up their practice, they want to stay as long as they like. They have vehemently opposed the Health Department’s attempts to control where health facilities…

The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) has stepped in to help the Sizwe Hosmed Medical Scheme, which is now under statutory management due to financial problems and poor planning. In 2021, Sizwe Medical Fund and Hosmed Medical Scheme merged, creating the eighth-largest open medical scheme in South Africa. The new scheme had over 67,000 members and R1.4 billion in reserves,…

The Gauteng department of health (GDoH) failed to spend R1.1 billion of its R60 billion budget for 2023/24. This was revealed by the department head, Arnold Malotana, during a recent meeting of the Gauteng legislature’s Health & Wellness Portfolio Committee. Jack Bloom, the DA’s Gauteng health spokesperson, criticised this as a poor way to run a health department. Malotana stated…