Posts tagged with 'Healthcare'

 

#HASA2017: NHI needs to start delivering now

Posted on Leave a comment

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
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Nuwe en moderne hospitaal in De Aar word wit olifant

Posted on Leave a comment

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
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

MEDICAL AID PREMIUMS SET TO INCREASE IN 2019

Posted on Leave a comment

Medical aid schemes have announced that the premiums paid by members are set to increase in 2019.

Talk Radio 702’s Xolani Gwala spoke to Paresh Prema, general manager of the benefits unit at Council for Medical Schemes, about what medical schemes consider reasons for increasing the premiums.

Prema says the responsibility of the council is to look at the suggestions put forward by the medical schemes and approve them before they can be implemented.

“So what you have seen, it is actually the submissions that they have made to us for the increases for next year.

“We look at the different elements that make up a contribution. The most important element is the claims and services that are paid for by medical schemes and how much it will be going up by in the next year.”

______________________________
Free Medical-Aid, Hospital and Funeral Plan and Insurance Quotes at www.MedSure.co.za
______________________________
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Health Professions Council of SA pursues bogus health practitioners

Posted on Leave a comment

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
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Mpumalanga woman claims nurses left her to deliver her own baby

Posted on Leave a comment

The Mpumalanga department of health has dismissed allegations that a 31-year-old woman was left alone to deliver her own baby at a local hospital.

Ester Mnisi claims that nursing staff at Mapulaneng Hospital in Bushbuckridge ignored her pleas for help on Sunday, September 17, when she went into labour.

“It was on Sunday, around six in the morning, when I arrived at the hospital with my family as my water broke.

“We greeted the nurses, but they just kept quiet until we asked why. Their response was that they were tired and had been delivering too many babies on that day.

“They said they were about to wrap up for the seven o’clock shift and that we should wait our turn,” Mnisi said.

The Mpumalanga woman said she could feel the baby coming, but when she told the nurses this, they sent her off to a room.

“I started screaming and begged for them to help me deliver the baby. They dismissed me and said my time to deliver was still far and they left and slamm
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Annual Global Burden of Disease Study : SA’s development vs health progress gap

Posted on Leave a comment

South Africa has one of the greatest misalignments in the world between development and health progress. It is one of five countries where actual health burden rates far exceed what one would expect based on its income and education levels, plus fertility rates. So says the Annual Global Burden of Disease Study.

“Life expectancy in South Africa is rapidly increasing, but that doesn’t mean we’re enjoying healthier lives. Communicable diseases like HIV, car accidents, and waves of violence are taking the lives of far too many South Africans, especially young people. This is one of the few countries in the world where the number of healthy years that men and women can expect to live has fallen over the past 25 years. We have a lot of work to do,” said Professor Charles Shey Wiysonge, director of Cochrane South Africa and a co-author of the study.

The study’s main findings for South Africa include:

A South African man born in 2016 can expect to live 59.2
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Wes-Kaapse Departement van Gesondheid en Openbare werke beoog om uiteindelik nuwe staatslykhuis te bou na jare se uitstel

Posted on Leave a comment

Bouwerk het begin om die grootste staatslykhuis in die Wes-Kaap – wat 3 800 lykskouings per jaar doen – te vervang. Dit volg ná jare se beplanning en uitstel.

Die Wes-Kaapse departemente van gesondheid en openbare werke het pas aangekondig daar is begin met die projek van R281 miljoen. Dit sal 23 maande neem om die nuwe Observatory Forensiese Patologie-instituut te bou.

Die ou staatslykshuis in Soutrivier wat al sedert die 1950’s in gebruik is, sal nie meer bestaan nie.

Die nuwe gebou grens aan Hoofweg in Observatory en is langs die Kaapstadse Wetenskapsentrum geleë.

Die ou fasade van die oorspronklike gebou, die Pepsi Cola-fabriek, word om geskiedkundige redes behou en die res word nuut gebou.

Die gebou sal uit drie verdiepings bestaan, met 26 lykskouingtafels en vier areas vir disseksie sowel as areas vir opleiding.

Forensiese patoloë wat deels verbind is aan die Universiteit van Kaapstad en deels aan die departement van gesondheid doen lyk
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Five babies die in Gauteng hospital due to klebsiella ‚ hospital CEO suspended

Posted on Leave a comment

Five babies have now died from antibiotic-resistant Klebsiella at the Thelle Mogoerane Hospital in Vosloorus as the hospital shuts down wards and struggles to find the source of this bacteria.

DA Gauteng shadow health MEC Jack Bloom said he discovered this when he visited the hospital last week to check up on sources who had told him that more babies had died after it was revealed two weeks ago that two out of seven babies infected with Klebsiella had died.

“I was informed that Klebsiella infection has been confirmed in 11 babies‚ five of whom have died.

“The first baby died on July 9‚ another in early August‚ two babies died on August 25 and another baby on August 28. They were all vulnerable low-weight premature infants‚” Bloom said on Sunday.

Bloom said the remaining infected babies had been isolated to prevent further infection‚ and the neonatal and labour wards had been thoroughly scrubbed down.

Bloom also welcomed the decision by th
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Noord-Kaapse LUR van gesondheid moet opdok vir bejaarde se onderbeen

Posted on Leave a comment

Die Noord-Kaapse LUR van gesondheid is Woensdag in die hooggeregshof in Kimberley beveel om die mediese en regskoste te betaal van ’n bejaarde man wat sy onderbeen weens mediese nalatigheid verloor het.

Regter Mpho Mamosebo het in haar uitspraak gesê dit ontstem haar dat ’n kundige soos dr. Qebelo Maseme, wat vir die LUR getuig het, partydig is. Sy het sy getuienis verwerp.

Patrick Erasmus (nou 76) se linkerbeen is in 2013 bokant die knie afgesit nadat hy aanvanklik vir ’n groottoon met infeksie behandel is.

Sy probleme het begin toe hy op 13 November 2012 vir ’n opvolgbesoek by ’n private dokter was.

Die dokter, wat intussen ’n skikking met Erasmus buite die hof bereik het, het ’n rekkie om die toon gebind om die toonnael te verwyder. Die toon is toegebind.

Twee besoeke later het die dokter Erasmus ingelig dat hy gangreen in die toon het en hom na die staatshospitaal in Kimberley verwys.

’n Senior dokter daar het op 20 November verde
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Steve Biko-hospitaal – Meeste hysers buite werking

Posted on Leave a comment

Die meeste hysers in die Steve Biko Akademiese hospitaal in Pretoria is reeds twee weke lank stukkend.

Talle pasiënte kan nie sekere prosedures ondergaan of dokters besoek nie.

Dié wat te siek of swak is om self by die trappe op te loop, sit en wag glo daagliks in die hospitaal se ontvangsgebied om kans te kry om ’n hyser te gebruik.

Prince Hamnca, woordvoerder van die Gautengse departement van gesondheid, sê op 3 September was die probleem op sy ergste, maar ’n kontrakteur werk sedertdien om die hysers te herstel.

“ ’n Aantal plekke in die hospitaal is hierdeur geraak, maar ons prioritiseer pasiëntsorg,” sê Hamnca.

Die departement het pasiënte en hul families om verskoning gevra vir die ongerief.

* Dinsdag is die 40ste herdenking van die moord op die struggleheld Steve Biko, na wie die hospitaal vernoem is.

______________________________
Free Medical-Aid, Hospital and Funeral Plan and Insurance Quotes at www.MedSure.co.z
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Waarskuwing rondom kodeïen

Posted on Leave a comment

Die SA Aptekers Vereniging het die publiek gewaarsku teen die misbruik van medisyne.

Die misbruik van oor-die-toonbank en voorgeskrewe medisyne is die oorsaak van verskeie gesondheidsprobleme.

Verkeerde gebruik van veral kodeïen-bevattende medisyne kan lei tot verslawing en selfs tot dwelmweerstandige siektes.

Die SAAV het die publiek versoek om seker te maak dat medikasie korrek gebruik word soos voorgeskryf om sodoende komplikasies te voorkom weens die misbruik daarvan.

Kodeïen verslawing kan lei tot aanvalle, lewer- en nierskade, depressie, angstigheid en selfs dood.

______________________________
Free Medical-Aid, Hospital and Funeral Plan and Insurance Quotes at www.MedSure.co.za
______________________________
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Is SA’s healthcare getting better?

Posted on Leave a comment

Globally, noncommunicable diseases were responsible for 70% of deaths in 2015, up from 60% in 2000. Ischaemic heart disease was the leading cause of death accounting for 8.8 million deaths in 2015, followed by stroke (6.2 million deaths) and lower respiratory infections (3.2 million deaths).

Communicable (infectious) diseases, on the other hand, were the cause of 12 million deaths worldwide in 2015 (in total), especially in low-income countries. These diseases include lower respiratory tract infections, diarrheal diseases, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

In South Africa, the number of deaths recorded in 2015 totalled 460,236 (compared to over one million births), indicating a 3% decline in deaths processed between 2015 and 2014. The majority of deaths were due to noncommunicable diseases (55.5% in 2015), an increase from 42.9% in 2005.

Interestingly, when compared to the global situation, the leading cause of natural deaths in South Africa in 2015 was t
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

The maddening state of Gauteng’s psychiatric facilities

Posted on Leave a comment

A massive shortages of hospital beds for psychiatric patients in Gauteng is compromising patient care.

Gauteng is short of about 2700 psychiatric beds which means that psychiatric patients have to be admitted to general wards where there is no security, thus posing a threat both to themselves and others.

This was revealed recently by Gauteng Health MEC Gwen Ramokgopa in a 22-page statement handed to the Gauteng Legislature in response to questions about the state of psychiatric care for hospitalised patients.

By the time a person with a psychiatric illness is hospitalised, their symptoms are usually severe and patients may be suicidal or psychotic.

The World Health Organisation (using prevalence US figures) estimates that up to three percent of a population will have severe psychiatric conditions and need hospitalisation. This excludes figures for people with substance abuse-related disorders and post-traumatic stress – so it is likely to be an under-esti
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Swak higiëne by Thelle Mogoerane-streekhospitaal veroorsak dat babas sterf ná ’n uitbreking van ’n weerstandige Klebsiella-bakterie

Posted on Leave a comment

Twee pasgebore babas is dood ná ’n uitbreking van ’n weerstandige Klebsiella-bakterie in die Thelle Mogoerane-streekhospitaal in Vosloorus aan die Oos-Rand.

Klebsiella-longontsteking is in die hospitaal se neonatale-eenheid geïdentifiseer.

Lesemang Matuka, woordvoerder van die Gautengse departement van gesondheid, sê sewe gevalle van Klebsiella-longontsteking is in Julie geïdentifiseer “en het ongelukkig tot die sterfte van twee babas gelei”.

Monsters is geneem en is na die laboratorium gestuur om die bron van die siekte vas te stel.

Die hospitaal het sedertien maatreëls getref om infeksievoorkoming en -beheer te versterk en die eenheid noukeurig te monitor.

“Die departement beplan om ’n provinsiale taakspan te saam te stel wat deur ’n neonatoloog gelei word om deurlopend te kyk na die maatreëls om moontlike toekomstige infeksies in al ons geriewe te voorkom,” het prof. Mkhululi Lukhele, departementshoof, wat Woensdagoggend die hosp
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!

 
 

Hospitaal in De Aar word leeg gesteel en gevandaliseer terwyl die departement van gesondheid skynbaar niks daaraan doen nie

Posted on Leave a comment

Die ou Karoo Sentraal-hospitaal in De Aar in die Noord-Kaap word glo al maande lank bedags en snags “leeggesteel” en gevandaliseer terwyl die departement van gesondheid skynbaar niks daaraan doen nie.

Die waskamer se toerusting is gesteel of gevandaliseer, sê inwoners.
Hospitaal in De Aar word leeg gesteel en gevandaliseer terwyl die departement van gesondheid skynbaar niks daaraan doen nie

Só sê Martin Barnard wat in Visserstraat naby die hospitaal woon.

Dié hospitaal het in onbruik geraak sedert die nuwe De Aar-hospitaal ’n paar jaar gelede oopgemaak is.
Die skade moet al derduisende rande beloop, en dit word net nie gestuit nie, sê Barnard.

“Ek is geskok. Ons inwoners voel nou self bedreig. In die afgelope m
Continue reading…

Share with friends on Social Media (if share buttons do not show below, disable your ad blocker temporarily):

Enjoyed this post? Share it!