With doctors already a scarce resource in South Africa, the proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) legislation could see a large number of medical professionals skip the country. Health Minister, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi presented the controversial bill last week, along with the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill which, if implemented, could see a huge shakeup in both..
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National Health Insurance could see mass emigration of SA doctors
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New drug Actemra approved for giant cell arteritis
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This drug has been approved to treat adults who suffer from a type of inflammation of the blood vessels.
The injected drug Actemra (tocilizumab) has previously been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat rheumatoid arthritis in people who haven’t responded to or who cannot tolerated other approved rheumatoid arthritis medication, Health24 reported.
Actemra has now been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with giant cell arteritis, an inflammation of the blood vessels (vasculitis).
In a media release, the FDA said this form of vasculitis mostly involves blood vessels of the head. Traditional therapy includes large doses of anti-inflammatory drugs called corticosteroids.
To be used ‘with caution’
“We expedited the development and review of this application because [Actemra] fulfils a critical need for patients with this serious disease who had limited treatment options,” said Dr Badrul Chowdhury, director of th
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Nuwe gesondheidsorg in die vooruitsig
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Die afskaffing van bybetalings op mediese dienste is een van die aanbevelings van die voorgestelde wet op mediese dienste.
Volgens Aaron Motsoaelidi, minister van gesondheid, kan slegs 10% van die bevolking private gesondheidsorg bekostig en moet dit onmiddelik reggestel word.
Tussengangers gaan ook afgeskaf word om te verseker dat lede direk gelde aan die mediese fondse betaal. Die rykes moet nou die armes subsidieer en die jonger geslag moet die ouer geslag help en die gesonde mense moet die siek mense subsidieer. Hy sluit af deur te sê dat die oorskakeling ‘n massiewe reorganisasie van die totale gesondheidsorg stelsel gaan wees, beide privaat en openbaar.
Medici sê mense sterf daagliks in staatshospitale, diefstal van mediese voorraad en toerusting is aan die orde van die dag. Instandhouding van toerusting bestaan nie en personeel se betalings is agterstallig. Die totale gesondheidsorg van die staat is in chaos en al uitweg is dat privaat mediese
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Three things you should know about Three things you should know about rotavirus
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Rotavirus is highly contagious and a common cause of infectious diarrhoea in developing countries. Since children younger than three are worst affected, a paediatrician sheds light on detection, prevention and treatment.
1. Infection
Nausea, vomiting, watery diarrhoea and fever are the most common symptoms of rotavirus. These symptoms usually start one to three days after exposure to the virus and last for an average of eight days.
‘If your family doctor or paediatrician suspects your child has rotavirus, the infection can be confirmed with a stool sample test,’ says Dr Heidi Ackermann, a paediatrician at Mediclinic George. Adults can also contract the virus, but the symptoms are usually much milder.
‘You can also can get the virus more than once, but you won’t get re-infected with the same strain,’ Dr Ackermann adds. Important to note is that although blood in the stools is not a symptom of the virus, it is a symptom that can’t
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Is your GP contracted in to a medical scheme network?
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If GPs are contracted in to a medical scheme network, they might be pressurised to recommend cheaper treatment options and medications, say SA health bodies.
The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) and the IPA Foundation (IPAF) is extremely concerned at the comments made recently by the Health Professions Council of South Africa concerning Designated Service Providers (DSPs).
The HPCSA recently released a statement to the effect that healthcare practitioners should be cautious when concluding designated service provider (DSP) agreements with medical schemes as the medical schemes attempted to reduce costs by applying pressure on practitioners within a DSP network to prescribe medication or recommend treatment options, when other more appropriate, albeit more expensive, options were medically indicated and readily available.
Pushing healthcare costs down
In the current environment where there are no regulated tariffs for healthcare procedures,
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Why opting out for a cheaper medical cover can cost you in the long run
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Medical cover is expensive, and getting more so every year. Unfortunately this could mean we opt for lower monthly premiums that could mean you aren’t covered in the event of an expensive procedure.
The South African Society of Anaesthesiologists (SASA) is advising South Africans to consider the multiple factors affecting cover when choosing access to medical care.
The SASA understands that healthcare is often hard to comprehend and expensive to access. As a result, the Society believes, many consumers choose their medical plans – including how much cover it offers and whether care is provided at public or private institutions – based on the principle of “what can I afford monthly”.
“The truth is, most people look at cutting their medical costs in an effort to reduce their household spend when they feel an economic pinch. This is a difficult decision, since we’d all like to have access to the best facilities and treatment with the least out of pock
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Government intends to to improve maternal and infant survival with new project
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FPD was granted funding by MSD Global to implement a project to improve maternal and infant survival by improving the quality of emergency care for pregnant mothers and/or new born babies during ambulance transit between health facilities.
The project purpose is to improve maternal and infant survival by improving the quality of emergency care to pregnant mothers and/or new born babies during ambulance transit between health facilities through a combination of expert technical advice, material development, and training designed to develop the competency of advanced, intermediate and basic life support workers employed by government obstetric EMS.
The intended outcome of the project is to reduce maternal mortality through provision of high quality, standardised care and management during inter-facility maternal transportation. The work has significant potential to have an immediate impact on maternal and perinatal deaths in South Africa and will directly contribut
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Manage your medical expenses during winter season to obtain optimal value
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To obtain optimal value from your medical scheme plan, it’s critical to fully understand the scope of benefits it offers and to manage those prudently.
To obtain optimal value from your medical scheme plan, it’s critical to fully understand the scope of benefits it offers and to manage those prudently. It’s an especially important consideration during the winter months. This is according to Dr James Arens, clinical operations executive at Pro Sano medical scheme.
Minor ailments like a recurrent common cold, for example, may not necessarily require repeated doctor visits that could potentially use up benefits that might be more appropriately used elsewhere.
Dr Arens points out that the economic climate in recent years has seen many South Africans downscaling on their lifestyles.
“This often means ‘buying down’ when it comes to medical scheme cover. It’s understandable that when money is scarce, people wish to pay as little as possible while sti
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Medical deans call on government to urgently address health crisis
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The South African Committee of Medical Deans (SACoMD) has called on the government to take drastic steps to address the ongoing health crisis in the country.
In a statement‚ the committee said that despite multiple interventions on the part of the minister of health and the National Department of Health‚ it was of the view that the health system in South Africa remained in crisis.
“The Cabinet’s recent decision to place the North West Health Department under administration of the national government in the wake of the health worker protests and the appointment of the Intervention Task Team in the Gauteng Health Department to advise on a turn-around strategy are indicative of a limping and indeed failing health system‚” the committee said. “The Deans are calling on Government to take drastic steps to address the systemic failures in the provincial health departments as a matter of priority‚” it added.
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What to consider when deciding on a medical scheme
The benefits on low blood pressure
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If you were born with blood pressure on the low side, that’s good news – but there are still a few things worth knowing about this condition.
Having low blood pressure in your genetic make-up means you don’t face the risk of developing heart problems or having a stroke as a result of high blood pressure. However, a sudden drop in blood pressure can indicate something more serious.
What is considered low blood pressure?
Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is a blood pressure measurement of 90/60mm Hg* or below. A normal or ideal blood pressure reading is between 120/80 and 90/60mm Hg. Blood pressure can vary considerably over short periods, depending on:
- body position
- stress levels
- physical conditions
- medication
- diet
- time of day – usually lowest while someone sleeps.
Most people with chronically low blood pressure aren’t even aware of it, and if you have
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Therapy For Breast Cancer Is No Longer Cut And Dried
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High-profile media campaigns have made most South African women aware that breast cancer poses a very real risk. But the message that really needs to be conveyed is that the disease can affect anyone and that most women who get breast cancer do not have risk factors.
In addition, more and more young women are presenting with breast cancer. “The implication for South African women is important: we should be taking proactive steps for women to be ‘breast aware’ from a young age. The earlier it is detected and treated, the better the prognosis,” says specialist surgeon and breast disease specialist, Professor Carol Ann Benn, who established the Netcare Milpark Breast Care Centre of Excellence.
International accreditation
The facility, which was the first breast care centre of excellence to be established in the private sector in South Africa some 16 years ago, has been granted a three-year, full accreditation by the National Accreditation Programme f
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Disastrous antibiotic hazard from food
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The greatly excessive use of antibiotics in food production in recent decades has made many bacteria more resistant to antibiotics. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has estimated that antibiotic use in animal husbandry, poultry farming and aquaculture in the US is over four times USDA recommended levels. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has estimated that 80 percent of all antibiotics sold in the USA are used on animals.
Cheap antibiotics prone to abuse
Antibiotics are used to ensure better health and survival of animals bred for food, but they are also believed by many farmers to promote growth. As prices of antibiotics remain attractively low, they offer the prospect of higher earnings from greater output at low cost. Hence, there is little or no market incentive to reduce excessive, if not indiscriminate use, and hence the abuse of antibiotics. Thus, such efforts to increase farmer incomes and profitabili
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Why healthcare is so expensive in SA
Cancer crisis: Where are South Africa’s radiation oncologists?
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Everyone knows about KZN’s cancer crisis but no one is talking about the other provinces that operate on just one radiation oncologist – or less…
There is not a single radiation oncologist left in Limpopo or Mpumalanga, according to an annual survey conducted by the South African Society of Clinical and Radiation Oncology.
In fact, half the country’s provinces may be relying on just nine radiation oncologists in Gauteng as cancer services in five provinces buckle.
Gauteng has long been a beacon of hope for cancer patients, catering for the sickest of the sick from across almost half the country — but what happens when Gauteng oncology services begin to fail?
Meanwhile, a lone specialist in the North West caters for 3.7-million people as four provinces are forced to send patients to Gauteng.
There is not a single radiation oncologist left in Limpopo or Mpumalanga, according to an annual survey conducted by the South African Society of Clinical and Rad
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