South Africa’s biggest pharmacy retailers are redesigning how and where they grow. With suburban shopping centres offering fewer new sites, South African pharmacy chains are moving beyond the familiar middle- and upper-income customer base that has fuelled expansion for years. Clicks and Dis-Chem still dominate the dispensary market, but both groups now face a tougher question: where does the next…
Tag: Diagnostics
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Ebola Outbreak Raises Red Flag As Death Toll Climbs
Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have reported 26 additional suspected Ebola deaths in 24 hours in the country’s east. The jump has heightened concern about how quickly the crisis is expanding. The reported total now stands at 131 deaths linked to the outbreak. Authorities have logged 516 suspected cases and 33 confirmed cases so far. The…
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Non-Invasive Colon Cancer Test Could Speed Diagnosis
A new screening approach being developed by scientists in China and the UK could change how colorectal cancer is detected, especially in health systems with limited access to colonoscopy. The innovation is a Non-Invasive Colon Cancer Test that analyses volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the vapour trapped above bowel faeces. The aim is simple. Identify higher-risk patients quickly, then prioritise…
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Roche Integration Accelerated: A New Era for Testing
Roche Diagnostics Africa launched Roche Integration Accelerated, a continent-wide initiative to expand access to testing for TB, HIV, HPV, and Hepatitis B and C. The programme leverages existing laboratory infrastructure. Unveiled on World TB Day, the initiative positions integration as a practical response to tightening budgets across African health systems. The core idea is simple. Many countries already have established…
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Asymptomatic TB is the Hidden Driver of Transmission
Tuberculosis remains one of the world’s toughest infectious diseases. It is curable, yet it still sickens millions each year and kills tens of thousands in South Africa. One reason is that TB can spread quietly. People can carry active disease in their lungs and remain infectious while feeling fine. This state is increasingly described as asymptomatic TB. Classic TB symptoms…
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Childhood Cancer Diagnosis: The Impact of Delayed Treatment
South Africa diagnoses too few children with cancer, a gap that experts say costs lives. In the Cape Town metro, the Western Cape health department estimates that clinicians diagnose about 100 children under 15 with cancer each year. Rates are broadly stable, but case numbers are rising with population growth. Nationally, the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) estimates that…
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NHLS Cancer Testing Delays Outsourcing Solutions
The National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS) has confirmed it is engaging private sector laboratories to address a critical backlog in cancer testing at its Johannesburg facility. This backlog has left some public healthcare patients waiting as long as three months for potentially life-saving diagnostic results. The NHLS, which forms the diagnostic backbone of the nation’s public health system, is facing…