Health

 

Mental health to be ‘outsourced’ in Eastern Cape

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The Eastern Cape department of health has published its R120-million tender to outsource chronic mental healthcare in the province – and has put emphasis on the reintegration of mental health patients in their communities.

Apart from chronic care‚ service providers have also been asked to tender for community-based initiatives to achieve this.

Seven-hundred adult and 180 paediatric mental health patients are now being cared for in Life Esidimeni centres in Kirkwood and Bethelsdorp.

The tender documents show that the department is also seeking to distribute beds for chronic mental health patients across the province if possible.

Long-term patients are currently housed at the 700-bed Life Esidimeni Kirkwood facility and the 180 children at Life Esidimeni’s Algoa Frail Care Centre in Bethelsdorp.

Provincial health spokesperson Lwandile Sicwetsha declined to elaborate on any of the information in the tender documents‚ saying this would compromise the
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Government clampdown on private ambulances looms

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Durban – Stringent regulations would soon be in place to control the private ambulance services industry, and recommendations have already been accepted by the National Health Council.
Some of the recommendations include:

– all private emergency rescue vehicles to be painted in one colour;

– one contact number for all private ambulance services;

– the nearest ambulance responds to the scene; and

– no provincial demarcations for the different private ambulance services.

This is likely to receive resistance from the operators, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said this week.

In an exclusive interview with the Daily News, Motsoaledi said the department was looking at getting rid of untrained operators who had been contributing to the number of patient injury complications as a result of reckless handling of accident victims.

He said some ambulance companies employed unethical practices when arriving at accident scenes.

“We h
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Looking at some South Africa hospital horrors

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South Africa´s recent spate of hospital horror stories and the sharp rise in cases of medical negligence are disturbing with medical negligence claims against provincial the country´s Health Departments increasing by around 25 per cent per year between 2011 and 2016.

This is according to Kirstie Haslam, partner at DSC Attorneys who says that the Gauteng Department of Health, (South Africa´s wealthiest province) receives a particularly staggering number of negligence claims each year. Since January 2015, it has been forced to pay out more than R1.017 billion ($US74 million) to settle 185 medical negligence claims.

“Deteriorating conditions in state hospitals, as well as incompetence and gross negligence on the part of staff members, are at the root of these claims – the vast majority of which were ruled in favour of the plaintiffs,” Haslam explains.

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How your medical bills may change under the National Health Insurance

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Many private hospitals will be opening their doors to more patients but does that mean you’ll be stuck at the back of the queue?

The United Kingdom’s universal healthcare system, known as the National Health Service (NHS), had a problem: By the early 2000s, a growing number of elderly patients were waiting up to three years for sight-saving cataract services in the early 2000s.

But the government-funded healthcare scheme didn’t have enough beds. It did, however, have plenty of parking.

“All we needed was a parking lot and a connection to three-phase electricity,” remembers South Africa’s Netcare CEO Richard Friedland.

Netcare entered the UK market fifteen years ago. It operates more than 50 private hospitals in the country, but 43% of its patients come from the NHS through the service’s electronic “choose and book” appointment system: Patients elect where to go for care, and the NHS pays private providers like Netcare a nationally-set rate
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It’s now 90 years ago that Penicillin was discovered – and despite resistance, the future looks good for antibiotics

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When the NHS turned 70 this year, I was reminded of another anniversary which has had an enormous impact on healthcare over many years. Penicillin is 90 this year.

Discovered in September 1928 by Alexander Fleming, it was first used as a cure when George Paine treated eye infections with it in 1930. A method for mass production was devised by Howard Florey and Ernst Chain in 1940, and it was first mass produced in 1942, with half of that total supply used for one patient being treated for streptococcal septicaemia.

In 1944, 2.3m doses were produced in time for the Normandy landings of World War II. And it was then that the miracle of penicillin became clear. Soldiers who had previously died from septicaemia were surviving.

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Kundiges in gesondheidsbedryf krap kop oor toename in hospitalisasie

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Kundiges in die gesondheidsbedryf het op die jaarlikse konferensie van die Hospitaalvereniging van Suid-Afrika (Hasa) in Kaapstad hewig van mekaar verskil oor wat die redes vir ‘n skerp toename in die koste van mediese skemas is.

Matthew Prior, hoof van gesondheidsbeleid van Life Healtcare, sê ’n toename in benutting van gesondheidsdienste word die afgelope jare as die hoofoorsaak beskou vir hoë mediese inflasie. Hy sê die premieverhogings wat mediese skemas van hul lede eis, is die werklike maatstaf van mediese inflasie vir verbruikers.

Prior het die debat gelei oor die redes vir die toename in die benutting.

Navorsing deur Medscheme, die administrateur van mediese skemas, toon daar is ’n verband tussen ’n toename in hospitaalbeddens en die skerp styging in hospitalisasie wat verlede jaar ervaar is, sê dr. Jenni Noble, hoofbestuurder van Medscheme.

Die mededingingsowerhede se paneel wat die markondersoek na die gesondheidsbedryf doen, het in 2016
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#HASA2017: NHI needs to start delivering now

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South Africa can’t wait for the final National Health Insurance (NHI) system in 2026 to start delivering on universal health coverage, but needs to start implementing projects and programmes that will make a real difference in people’s lives now. And this can’t be done without cooperation between the public and private health sectors.

This was the overarching message in a high-level panel discussion of chief executives from the private healthcare sector at the Hospital Association of South Africa (Hasa) conference currently underway at the Cape Town International Centre.

White paper is not enough

“NHI, in principle is the right thing to do, but implementation is the key,” said Vishal Brijlal, National Department of Health (DoH) advisor on NHI. “We have a white paper, but that is not enough. The policy needs to be followed by planning, implementation, and cooperation.

“We can’t just wake up on 1 April 2026 and hope by some miracle that NHI will be
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Nuwe en moderne hospitaal in De Aar word wit olifant

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Die nuwe en moderne hospitaal in De Aar is besig om in ’n wit olifant te ontaard, sê die DA, wat vandeesweek ’n oorsigbesoek daar gehad het.

Isak Fritz, DA-woordvoerder van gesondheid, sê dit is hoog tyd dat Fufe Makatong, LUR van gesondheid, die hospitaal besoek.

“Die hospitaal met sy moderne geriewe en tegnologie kan nie benut word nie weens ’n voortdurende tekort aan personeel en vaardighede.

“Daar is net vier dokters wat die hele hospitaal staande moet hou, terwyl daar nie naastenby genoeg verpleërs is nie.

“Die departementele personeelafdeling sloer met aanstellings. Wanneer besluite uiteindelik geneem word, is die persoon reeds elders aangestel.

“Boonop is daar ’n gebrek aan onderhoud wat die gesondheidsdienste benadeel. Die lugversorging funksioneer nie, wat nadelig vir pasiënte is.

“Die rioolvuil by die personeelwonings is ondraaglik. Al wat die departement moet doen om dit op te los is om die kontrakteur se kontrak te he
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CANCER:- Micorocoil localisation in treating early-stage lung cancer

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A breakthrough minimally invasive surgery technique, microcoil localisation, allows doctors to pinpoint and remove tiny nodules in early-stage lung cancer without damaging additional healthy tissue.

“Rather than cutting out an entire lobe, or potentially even an entire lung, we can just take out a small bit of tissue,” said Dr Jason Lempel, a thoracic radiologist at Cleveland Clinic in the United States. “We’re able to treat patients with early-stage lung cancers quickly and thus decrease the chance of the cancer spreading.”

Looking for a affordable Medical Aid or Hospital Plan, just click here Medical Aid or just send your Name, surname, age and email address to 082 738 5586

Cleveland Clinic is one of a handful of medical centre to offer the surgery. A review of the team’s first 20 cases has revealed a 100% success rate in retr
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Health Professions Council of SA pursues bogus health practitioners

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A rise in bogus health practitioners has forced the Health Professions Council of SA (HPCSA) and medical schemes to strengthen their forensics units to curb fraud. A team at the HPCSA is conducting about 400 investigations into bogus practitioners. To date, just more than 40 arrests have been made, but prosecutions are slow.

Data from this special investigation unit suggests that about 7% of all medical aid claims in SA are fraudulent and stem from both bogus practitioners and unscrupulous ones.

Estimates are that this type of fraud costs the private sector R22bn a year.

Bogus practitioners include those who had previously been registered with the HPCSA, but were struck off for various infractions, while others had no medical qualifications or experience and used practice numbers belonging to registered healthcare practitioners.

Eric Mphaphuli, a senior inspector at the council, said on Monday that, initially, his team had issues getting the police on board
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Medical negligence claims in public health sector rise by 25%

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The sorry state of the public health sector is reflected in the sharp rise in medical negligence claims against provincial health departments, increasing by around 25% per year between 2011 and 2016.
Medical negligence claims rise by 25%.

This is according to Kirstie Haslam, partner at DSC Attorneys who says that the Gauteng Department of Health receives a particularly staggering number of negligence claims each year. Since January 2015, it has been forced to pay out more than R1.017bn to settle 185 medical negligence claims.

“Deteriorating conditions in state hospitals, as well as incompetence and gross negligence on the part of staff members, are at the root of these claims – the majority of which were ruled in favour of the plaintiffs,” Haslam explains.

She points out that several shocking cases of gross medical negligence have received media attention over the past few years.

Birth injuries

Haslam says that medical negligence claims involving
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Limpopo paramedic in hot water after allegedly transporting alcohol in vehicle

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A video of a Mokopane resident approaching a Limpopo EMS paramedic over the alleged abuse of a government vehicle for private use has gone viral on social media.

In the video, the resident asks the paramedic why she was using a Limpopo EMS Ambulance to allegedly deliver alcohol from the ambulance to a private vehicle.

The paramedic then replies saying: “This is my work car, there is no way I cannot use this car to do whatever I want.”

Looking for a affordable Medical Aid or Hospital Plan, just click here Medical Aid or just send your Name, surname, age and email address to 082 738 5586

After viewing the video, Polokwane Review contacted the spokesperson for the MEC of Health Thabiso Teffo for comment on the matter. Teffo confirmed that steps will be taken against the paramedic.

“We can confirm that disciplinary action will be ta
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Constitutional Court Ruling:- You can get high now in private

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In a unanimous judgement, the Constitutional Court on Tuesday ordered that the private consumption and cultivation of cannabis be decriminalised.

As judgement was being handed down, the court was filled with cheers of “Ganga” from public gallery.

It has been a long journey for Gareth Prince, one of the applicants in the matter, who began his fight against the criminalisation of cannabis over two decades ago, arguing that it was inconsistent with his constitutional freedom of religion as a Rastafarian.

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Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo handed down the judgement, which confirmed that sections 4(b) and 5(b) of the Drugs and Drugs Trafficking read in part with section 22(A)(9)(a)(i) of
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You can get high now in private says the Constitutional Court

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In a unanimous judgment, the Constitutional Court on Tuesday ordered that the private consumption and cultivation of cannabis be decriminalised.
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Pasiënt kla oor haglike toestande by F.H. Odendaal-hospitaal in Modimolle

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‘n Hospitaal word geassosieer met higiëne en orde- Dit, sê ’n ontstelde inwoner van Modimolle, is egter nie die geval by die F.H. Odendaal-hospitaal in Modimolle nie.

Foto’s van haar onlangse besoek aan die hospitaal wys ’n stukkende kraan wat met ’n vuil verband “reggemaak” is, stowwerige vensterbanke, toiletpapier wat in die bad lê, vuil toilette, gebreekte glasdeure en rommel wat besoekers vanaf die parkering na die hospitaal begelei.

“Ek sien op teen elke besoek aan die hospitaal. Die personeel is ongeskik en laat die mense ure lank onnodig wag. As ’n mens durf kla, raak hulle aggressief. Hulle is traag om pasiënte te help en staan eerder met mekaar en gesels. Dit is ’n skande dat ’n hospitaal waarvan so baie mense afhanklik is, in so ’n toestand is,” het sy gesê.

Solomon Maphologela van die hospitaal se kommunikasie-afdeling het by navraag gevra dat inwoners liefs hul klagtes op skrif sit.

“Moet asseblief nie by die verpl
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