Health

 

South Africans are urged by dietitians to ‘Eat Fact Not Fiction’ June 2017

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Nutrition advice promising all sorts, from weight loss to healthier living and even cures for diseases, spread like wildfire across social media. In the era of ‘alternative facts’ and post-truth, ‘the latest, greatest nutrition advice’ from dubious sources can unfortunately tempt many away from accepted dietary guidelines and recommendations based on years of evidence.

‘Eat Fact Not Fiction’ is the theme of Dietitian’s Week 2017, highlighting the important role of dietitians who are able to interpret nutrition science and dietary guidelines in order to customise nutrition advice for each individual. This is vital because from weight loss to a disease like diabetes, there is no ‘one size fits all’ best eating plan. Dietitians happen to be health professionals trained and qualified to do this.

Dietitians and evidence

In the course of earning their degrees in the science of dietetics, dietitians are specifically taught the skills re
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Comment on the NHI Bills presented by Health Minister

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Bonitas Medical Fund welcomes the draft amendment Bill to the end that it aims to make healthcare more accessible.

“While in principle we support the actions of the government and applaud them for taking proactive measures to improve the quality of national healthcare in South Africa, we have reservations and concerns around some of the proposed amendments. And this not only in respect of representing private medical schemes,” says Kenneth Marion, COO of Bonitas Medical Fund.

The universal National Health Insurance Bill proposed by The Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as ‘universal health coverage means people will receive the health services they need without suffering financial hardship’.

Looking for a affordable Medical Aid or Hospital Plan, just click here Medi
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This Popular Children’s Medication ‘Is Basically Crystal Meth’ Warns Doctor

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According to the National Institute of Mental Health, “Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a brain disorder marked by an ongoing pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that interferes with functioning or development.”(1) It’s characterized by three key traits: inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity.

This condition, as well as ADD (attention deficit disorder), are diagnosed by observing behaviors. There is no medical test, such as blood tests or a brain scan, capable of diagnosing the condition.

Because of the vague nature of the qualifying characteristics that lead to an ADHD diagnosis, many kids are being unnecessarily medicated. In fact, many children who experience ADHD symptoms are simply experiencing behavioral issues that stem circumstances in their life at home and at school. Other medical conditions may also be responsible for their behavior.

What to Know Before Medicating your Child
Although
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Fixing an ailing system, South Africa’s universal health care plan falls short

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South Africa’s Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has finally gazetted the bill detailing an ambitious plan to roll out universal health care in the country through a National Health Insurance.

The bill responds to a global campaign spearheaded by the World Health Organisation and linked to the UN’s sustainable development goals to make sure that no-one is left behind in accessing quality health care.

There’s no dispute that South Africa’s health care system needs major reforms. There are considerable inequities in health care between urban and rural areas; between public and private health sectors and between primary health care and hospital care. And the country has a complex disease burden with heavy caseloads of HIV, TB and non-communicable diseases.

Looking for a affordable Medical Aid or Hospital Plan, just click here Medical Aid or just send your Na
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Medical Schemes amendments could threaten schemes’ sustainability

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While the proposed amendments to the Medical Schemes Act seek to lower the cost of private healthcare, they may have the unintended consequence of threatening the sustainability of medical schemes.

The amendments look at abolishing the practice of copayments on certain benefits, removing waiting periods and prescribed minimum benefits and tapping into the reserves medical schemes are required to hold.

These provisions in isolation could affect the financial stability of medical aids, says Lerato Mosiah, CEO: Health Funders Association (HFA). “Whilst we welcome the dialogue in the sector, it is critical that this takes into consideration the broader picture and context. It is thus important to understand that medical schemes utilise risk management measures in order to ensure that they remain viable.

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‘Dead’ woman found alive in South Africa morgue fridge

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morgue

A woman is recovering in hospital after being discovered alive in a mortuary fridge. The woman was taken to Carletonville morgue, in Gauteng province, having been declared dead by paramedics following a road accident. Ambulance company Distress Alert said she had shown “no form of life”, South Africa’s TimesLive website reports. But when a morgue..
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Staatshospitale het ‘n te kort aan dokters – dit word nou ‘n krisis

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Die minister van gesondheid, Aaron Motsoaledi, het sy saak bepleit in ‘n verklaring waarin hy sê dat daar 14 onkologie apparate is wat elk R40 miljoen werd is, maar daar is geen spesialiste om die apparaat te gebruik nie.

Natal ondervind al maande lank ‘n probleem nie net met dokters nie, maar met mediese apparaat wat of stukkend of ondiensbaar is. Tans is daar een onkoloog in Natal in diens wat 1,3 miljoen kankerpasiënte moet behandel. Nou doen Motsoaledi ‘n beroep op privaat spesialiste om te kom help en die toerusting te gebruik.

Dit krap medici baie om omdat hy ‘n nuwe gesondheidstelsel te wil afdwing maar hy besef nie dat daar mediese personeel is wat die werk moet verrig nie. Kankerpasiënte moet tans in sekere hospitale tot vier maande wag voordat hul bestraling kan kry maar volgens die staat is dit nie “’n krisis” nie.

Deur: Die Vryburger

______________________________
Free Medical-Aid, Hospital and Funeral Plan and Insura
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Genesis wins case on accounting for use of medical savings funds

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On Tuesday, the Constitutional Court ruled that all funds paid by members to their schemes should be considered as assets, regardless of their intended use.

Genesis medical scheme has won its legal battle with the Council of Medical Schemes over how to account for the funds in members’ medical savings accounts (MSAs), a development that has potentially far-reaching implications for both the industry and consumers.

This technical accounting point will make a material difference in the way schemes calculate their solvency ratios that measure gross income against reserves.

Treating MSA balances as assets means schemes’ reported solvency ratios will improve, because funds accumulated in MSAs will now be considered as part of a schemes’ reserves, said Insight Actuaries joint CEO Barry Childs.

This is important because better solvency ratios mean less pressure on schemes to increase premiums.

The judgment overturned a high court ruling that the council has us
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Natural Cold and Flu Remedies

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Natural Cold and Flu Remedies

It’s no wonder these kinds of treatments are popular — we still have no cure for colds or the flu. While the flu vaccine may prevent the flu, and some prescription medications may shorten its symptoms, most conventional medications just ease symptoms. Many natural remedies can give you short-term relief as well, and a few may help you get better. See which ones show the most promise.

Echinacea
This herbal supplement may boost your immune system and help fight infections. But it’s unclear whether that helps you fight off colds. Most evidence shows echinacea doesn’t help prevent a cold, but some research found it shortens symptoms by a day or two. Other studies say it has no effect. To try it, take it when you start to feel bad and continue for 7 to 10 days.

Zinc
Some studies show it helps fight viruses, like the cold. They say the mineral stops certain proteins from forming before cold virus
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Travelling abroad – Consider this advice before you leave

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I will never forget the first Canadian medical tourist I interviewed. I was gripped when this person told me about travelling abroad for invasive surgery, accompanied by their spouse. While in India, this spouse required emergency surgery to address a chronic condition that had worsened.

This situation sounded so distressing and the researcher in me wondered: Could the mental and physical stress of caregiving in an unfamiliar, international context have negatively impacted the spouse’s health to the point that surgery was required?

There are many reasons why patients opt to seek health care abroad. In some cases, it is because they cannot access timely surgery locally. In others, they are seeking an experimental procedure that is not available at home, such as an unapproved stem cell therapy.

For most of the last decade I have been involved in extensively studying medical tourism. I have spoken with patients, policy-makers, doctors, nurses, tourism official
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Vier maniere om jou mediesefonds-spaargeld te rek

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Ons gee verbruikers vier maniere om hul mediesefond-spaargeld te rek.

Gebruik generiese medisyne

As generiese medisyne beskikbaar is, is dit ʼn heeltemal aanvaarbare plaasvervanger vir handelsmerkmedisyne, tensy jou dokter dit spesifiek uitsluit. “Baie generiese medisyne is klone ─ dit kan deur die oorspronklike vervaardiger op dieselfde produksielyn gemaak word. Dis net die verpakking wat verskil,” verduidelik Merle Rakusin, ʼn gekwalifiseerde apteker by die Clickswinkel in Claremont.

ʼn Generiese middel moet “bioidenties” aan die oorspronklike handelsmerkmedisyne wees, wat beteken dat die volgende presies dieselfde moet wees:

  • aktiewe bestanddeel
  • sterkte
  • gebruik en uitwerking
  • wyse van toediening (byvoorbeeld ʼn pil, inaseming of vloeistof)
  • vermoë om binne die regte tydsverloop en in dieselfde mate die verlangde vlak in die bloedstroom te bereik
    toetsstandaarde

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Day hospitals: The answer to rising health costs?

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South Africans are faced with the constant increases in the cost of living and an ailing economy, forcing consumers to cut down on spending across the board.

For a small percentage of the population, healthcare costs are covered by medical aid, but only an estimated 16% of South Africans have such coverage while the rest rely on an already overburdened healthcare system. Continuing downward pressure on the economy is pushing even those with medical cover to either reduce it, or outright terminate their membership just to make ends meet, leaving more and more South Africans vulnerable.

While there are several factors contributing to the increase in private healthcare costs, including the volatile exchange rate and its impact on the cost of importing medical equipment, the rising costs of medication, doctors’ fees, the increasing average age of principal members on the schemes, the biggest culprit is private hospital costs.

According to the Council for Medical
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Technology – Egyptian e-health startup ElBalto launches mobile consultation service

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Egyptian startup ElBalto has launched a mobile application that provides users with easy, reliable, timely and affordable online video consultations via a network of customer-rated and licensed doctors.

Video consultations offered on ElBalto will initially be available in the specialisations of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Nutrition and Gynecology, while the startup will also offer home visits in areas like Orthopedics and Cardiology.

“Currently, Egypt is suffering from a significant imbalance in the health workforce distribution, with doctors concentrated in the big cities and urban settings,” said co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Mahmoud Abdalla.

“I was personally inspired when I became a father and had to go with my wife and newborn every other week for a doctor’s appointment to get answers to very basic questions, or to follow up on treatment. We were both struggling with time, effort, cost and logistics, let alone the inconvenience if we wo
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The real reason SA’s doctors won’t deliver your baby

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Medico-legal litigation has exploded. As of March 2016, claims against the health department from the previous five years stood at more than R37‑billion. By October that year, the figure had jumped to R51‑billion — or a third of the whole public healthcare budget if we had to pay every cent.

The medico-legal litigation pandemic threatens not only our health system but also the very existence of our mothers and children.

When some see these figures, their first reaction is to condemn the health department and accuse it of absolute carelessness. Please be careful before drawing such conclusions. Ask yourself first: But what has changed?

It is common knowledge that, over the decades, an overwhelming number of medico-legal litigation cases were lodged against the Road Accident Fund (RAF).

The RAF has since been litigated into a state of near-bankruptcy and is finding it difficult to even pay legitimate claims. The minister of finance has tried to raise th
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480 narkotiseurs kan SA verlaat oor swak NGV

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Indien narkotiseurs meen dat die Nasionale Gesondheidsversekering (NGV) en die beoogde prysbeheer ’n bedreiging vir hul beroep inhou, kan tot sowat 480 of ’n derde van hulle die land verlaat.

Natalie Zimmelman, uitvoerende hoof van die Suid-Afrikaanse Vereniging van Narkotiseurs (Sasa), het Dinsdag op ’n mediakonferensie die uitslae van ’n peiling onder narkotiseurs oor onder meer die NGV bekend gemaak.

Sy sê narkotiseurs is ’n “hoogs sensitiewe en baie mobiele” arbeidsmag omdat meer as 40% van hulle ook in ander lande geregistreer is. Meer as 50% het reeds in ’n ander land gewerk.

“Hulle kan môre die land verlaat as hulle wil.”

’n Peiling wat verlede jaar vir die markondersoek oor private gesondheidsorg uitgevoer is se inligting is nou vrygestel.

Dit toon 35% of sowat 480 narkotiseurs oorweeg dit om in die komende vyf jaar die land te verlaat. Dit hou met sosio-ekonomiese bedreigings vir hul beroep en hul siening oor die gesondhe
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