Posts tagged with 'new medical scheme'

 

What is the road ahead for the pharma industry in South Africa

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In recent years, South Africa’s pharmaceutical industry has increasingly shifted its focus to become more patient-centric in everything that it does.

However, in the current challenging economy, building on this positive change and delivering greater results for consumers is becoming ever more challenging. Companies operating in this sector will therefore need to adapt and embrace new strategies.

The road ahead for the pharma industry
No one knows this better than industry veteran, Jacques van Staden, COO of Cipla South Africa (Pty) Limited (“Cipla Medpro”), wholly-owned subsidiary of Cipla Limited, India (“Cipla”). With a career spanning more than 25 years, Van Staden firmly believes that pharmaceutical businesses will need to make significant changes to the way that they view opportunities and focus their efforts if they are to survive in the years to come. We sat down with Van Staden to hear more about the changes, challenges and opp
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Cause of Alzheimer’s disease:- Mounting evidence that herpes virus is a cause

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Successful prevention of Alzheimer’s disease by use of specific anti-herpes agents has now been demonstrated in a large-scale population study in Taiwan.

More than 30 million people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia. Unfortunately, there is no cure, only drugs to ease the symptoms. However, my latest review, suggests a way to treat the disease. I found the strongest evidence yet that the herpes virus is a cause of Alzheimer’s, suggesting that effective and safe antiviral drugs might be able to treat the disease. We might even be able to vaccinate our children against it.

The link between Alzheimer’s disease and herpes
The virus implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), is better known for causing cold sores. It infects most people in infancy and then remains dormant in the peripheral nervous system (the part of the nervous system that isn’t the brain and the sp
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New Study Shows Escalating civil cases against private hospitals due to nursing malpractice

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Nursing malpractice has resulted in a significant rise in civil claims against private hospitals, according to a study by Professor Ethelwynn Stellenberg of the Department of Nursing and Midwifery at Stellenbosch University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (FMHS).

“The quality of care is declining in both the state and private sectors. The cost of clinical mistakes is just too high.” It is not only the increase in the number of claims that is troubling, but also the scale, with many amounting to pay outs of millions of rand. In the end these costs are passed on to the consumer,” she says.

Failure to follow guidelines and poor monitoring of patients are contributing factors in these malpractice cases. She finds it concerning that most of these cases are settled quietly, which means that important information does not reach the people who use private hospitals.

The study mainly focused on Gauteng and the Western Cape, where the biggest hospitals
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The big question is:- Why medical devices should carry warranties

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South Africa has a unique opportunity to become the global leader in the regulation of warranties for medical devices.

Throughout the world, legal cases against pharmaceutical companies that manufacture medical devices such as implants for treatment of specific conditions are on the increase, as patients are not always properly informed about how the device works, what its intended purpose is, and, most importantly, how long it will work effectively.

A major problem leading to the increasing law suits stems from a lack of information for patients on what to expect from a product and the patient’s own, sometimes unrealistic, expectations.

When it comes to consumer products – which are covered in South Africa by the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) – different remedies are available for consumers if they are unhappy with the product. For example, a consumer buys a product or pays for a service. The manufacturer guarantees that the product should work as inten
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Wonderful News:- R500m to recruit health professionals, buy beds and linen

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Government will reprioritise funds to make R350m available to recruit new health professionals, says Finance Minister Tito Mboweni.

The Minister tabled the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement in the National Assembly on Wednesday.

“Access to healthcare services is enshrined in our Constitution and in our Bill of Rights. We will continue to work closely with the national Department of Health and other role players to ensure that the gradual phased implementation of the National Health Insurance is adequately financed.

“We are immediately reprioritising R350m to recruit in excess of 2,000 health professionals into public health facilities,” he said.

Mboweni said a further reprioritisation of funds will avail R150m to be used to purchase beds and linen for hospitals where the need is more dire.

These two interventions will build on the Presidential Health Summit convened last weekend, which has brought a new focus to improving the quality of healthcar
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Will the NHI just be another state-owned enterprise?

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A report by organisations collaborating under the umbrella of the People’s Health Movement South Africa was submitted to the UN Committee on Cultural, Economic and Social Rights (ICESER), interrogating, among other things the flaws and pitfalls of the country’s National Health Insurance (NHI) proposal.

“The international human rights system does not have the teeth of a legal process but it is quite powerful if the committee recommends, for example, stronger oversight over mental health services, or greater resources. So, we are interested in what their recommendations will be based on their interrogation of the report,” one of the authors, Professor Leslie London from the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at UCT says.

NHI

About a third of the health movement’s report focused on the National Health Insurance (NHI) proposal. Areas of concern flagged include the absence of any reference to preventative health; capacity and resourc
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Looking Into Assisted Dying: South African law and the right to die on your terms

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Assisted dying is in the headlines again after euthanasia advocate Sean Davison was arrested in September 2018 on a charge of murder, relating to helping a friend die.

Across the world, assisted dying, often crudely called “assisted suicide” is becoming part of the discourse. The matters is back in focus in South Africa following the arrest of euthanasia advocate Sean Davison on a charge of murder in September 2018. Davison was arrested for helping his terminally ill mother die in 2006.

In her book Ending Life. Ethics and the Way We Die (2005), philosopher Margaret P. Battin shares this story from the Netherlands.

“Two friends, old sailing buddies, are planning a sailing trip in the North Sea later in the year, and they are discussing possible dates. “How about July 21st?” says Willem. “The sea will be calm, the moon bright, and there’s a music festival on the coast of Denmark we could visit.” “Sounds great,” answers Joost, “I’d love to
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The National Health Insurance (NHI): Who’s in, who’s out and how much will it cost

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The NHI was the centre of this weekend’s Presidential Health Summit. Now the pressure is mounting for Treasury to figure out how to fund it.

The health system is in crisis, government officials admit. Now, they have just weeks to produce an initial plan on how to fix it ahead of introducing a National Health Insurance (NHI), Deputy President David Mabuza revealed this weekend.

With its namesake, President Cyril Ramaphosa was absent from this weekend’s Presidential Health Summit. The gathering drew more than 100 representatives from civil society, government, unions, academia and the private sector. Prior to the event, that was held in Boksburg. each delegate received a 21-page concept note outlining challenges within the health system. including corruption and how the NHI will incorporate the private sector.

Solutions proposed during the meeting will now form the basis for wider consultation ahead of a public plan to turn the health system. The strategy i
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Kinkhoes (whooping cough) raak woes in die Baai – Port Elizabet

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HET jou kind griepsimptome met veral ’n hoes wat langer as twee weke aanhou?

Dan moedig die provinsiale departement van gesondheid ouers aan om hulle kinders so gou moontlik na ’n dokter of kliniek te neem.

Lwandile Sicwetsha, provinsiale woordvoerder, het die uitbreking bevestig van Bordetella pertussis, die bakterie wat kinkhoes veroorsaak.

Dit het reeds die lewe van ’n maand oue baba geëis.

Sedert die begin van die jaar tot 15 Oktober is 26 voorvalle in die Baai aangemeld – 13 by privaat gesondheids­instansies en 13 by staatshospitale.

Asemhaling

Laas jaar is net vyf gevalle van kinkhoes in die Baai aangemeld.

Sicwetsha sê kinkhoes tas meestal babas jonger as drie maande aan.

Die simptome van kinkhoes sluit grieperigheid in en ’n hoes wat langer as twee weke aanhou, asook moeilike asemhaling.

Die siekte kan genees word as dit vroeg opgespoor word.

Sicwetsha sê as babas vir hul inentings geneem word, vermin
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The Sugar Industry Regulations have been gazetted

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Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry has welcomed the gazetting of the Sugar Industry Regulations.

“The Portfolio Committee on Trade and Industry welcomes the gazetting of the Sugar Industry Regulations on transitional arrangements in terms of the Constitution of the South African Sugar Association (Sasa) and the Sugar Industry Agreement,” said the Committee on Thursday.

The regulations were gazetted on 9 October 2018 and the committee subsequently met with the Sasa and South African Farmers Development Agency (Safda).

The meeting was held so that the committee could be briefed on transitional arrangements with respect to incorporating Safda into Sasa and to discuss sugar tariffs.

Committee Chairperson Joan Fubbs said the incorporation is a step in the right direction, particularly for black small-scale farmers.

Safda is a member-based, voluntary non-profit association of like-minded farmers who believe in the development and sustai
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MEDICAL RESEARCH:- Are probiotics boosting SA’s digestive health industry growth?

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Increasingly, health-conscious consumers are starting to follow their gut when looking for ways of mitigating the negative health effects of increasingly stressful lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits. A growing number of consumers are using probiotics to prevent and manage their digestive, as well as general, health issues.

Insight Survey’s latest SA Digestive Health (Probiotics) Industry Landscape Report 2018 uncovers the global and local markets based on the latest information and research. It describes the market drivers and restraints as well as the relevant global and local market trends to present an objective insight into the South African Probiotics industry environment, market dynamics and its future.

The Global Probiotics market is valued at US$45.7 billion in 2018 and is predicted to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% between 2018 and 2024. Asia-Pacific is the largest regional Probiotics market in 2018, with US$24.4 billion, foll
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University of the Western Cape research identifies 130 new skin viruses

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A recent study, which set out to understand the genetic makeup of the many different phages that live on the bacteria living on the cells of our skins, found that no fewer than 130 entirely new species. The study, Novel phages of healthy skin metaviromes from South Africa also hinted at directions for future research..
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National Health Insurance will cost more than R350 billion:- Solidarity

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“VAT will effectively have to be doubled,” says Solidarity. The Solidarity Research Institute has released a report detailing the enormous amount of funding necessary to effectively implement the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme.

The numbers far exceed those previously calculated by the Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi. What’s more worrying is the heavy impact this will have on South African taxpayers.

According to Solidarity researcher, Morné Malan, funding required by the NHI is closer to R357 billion with a deficit of approximately R210 billion.

NHI: How does it affect the taxpayer?
Malan outlined the exorbitant fees which would need to be carried by the South African taxpayer. According to his research, value-added tax (VAT) would effectively double in order to carry the weight of NHI.

Commenting on the burden taxpayers will be forced to carry, Malan said:

“It is very difficult to determine from where the additional mon
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South Africa does little to address depression and other mental illnesses:- World Mental Health Day

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As a country, not much has been achieved in building a society that embraces mental illness. For those who are distressed, help is available. Contact SADAG on: 011 234 4837.

Wednesday, 10 October marks World Mental Health Day. However, the topic of our mental health should be at the forefront more often than it is.

In South Africa, the statistics on deaths caused by mental illness are disturbing – to say the least. The country only keeps estimates on suicide rates, but globally, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is one of the leading causes of death.

South Africa not quick enough to raise awareness
There aren’t enough facilities and resources in South Africa that are catered towards people suffering from depression and anxiety. These topics are often brushed aside or never embraced in homes that raise young adults who experience this the most.

IOL News reported that:

New York, this week became th
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Need to know information:- What to look out for when choosing a medical scheme

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Are your health insurance costs too high? Try decoding your medical aid terms and conditions and associated costs to make sure that it works for you.

“While health insurance is important, it comes at a cost that is rapidly rising. Unfortunately for the consumer, this affects medical scheme membership contribution rates, and the increases of which are sometimes significantly higher than general inflation.

As schemes try to contain their costs in the face of increasing claims, they make changes to their plans and benefits, which can come as a surprise to the consumer,” says Mark Payne, CEO of the Independent Community Pharmacy Association (ICPA).

Annual review of your plan

He recommends that an annual review of your plan is absolutely vital, and will affirm that it is serving your needs rather than the other way around.

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