Medicine shortages have prompted the Western Cape government to seek urgent national intervention, including an investigation into possible port delays affecting imported medicines. Health and Wellness MEC Mireille Wenger has asked Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to help identify logistical obstacles and prioritise medicine consignments. Her request highlights concerns about the Port of Durban. However, authorities have yet to establish the…
Tag: Western Cape
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WOWRewards pilot offers food vouchers for healthy choices
The WOWRewards pilot offers Western Cape residents food vouchers for exercise, vaccinations and medicine collection. Explore its prevention goals. The WOWRewards pilot will offer Western Cape public healthcare users food vouchers worth up to R100 monthly for completing approved health activities. Launched in Westridge, Mitchells Plain, on 10 October, the programme tests whether modest incentives can encourage healthier habits. It…
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Mpox Cases in SA Rise as Local Transmission Accelerates
Mpox cases in South Africa have climbed sharply over the past few weeks, prompting the Department of Health to urge immediate and sustained public co-operation. By 17 September, the country had recorded 18 laboratory-confirmed infections and one probable case, according to departmental spokesperson Foster Mohale. The trend points to growing local transmission of a preventable viral infection. Mohale said 13…
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NHI Implementation on Hold After Presidential Undertaking
President Cyril Ramaphosa has formally undertaken not to bring any part of South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI) Act into operation until the Constitutional Court has ruled on two challenges focused on public participation. The undertaking was conveyed in a letter dated 20 February from the Office of the State Attorney. It states the president “undertakes not to promulgate any…
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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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NHI Court Challenges: Litigants Reject Settlement Call
Negotiations are unlikely to resolve the NHI Act court challenges in the near future. Most organisations taking the National Health Insurance (NHI) Act to court have poured cold water on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s suggestion that litigants should meet the government and “craft a settlement”. At the heart of the dispute is trust. Several groups argue that the government should…