SAMA welcomes GP health, social dept split

The South African Medical Association (SAMA) has welcomed the decision by Gauteng Premier Nomvula Mokonyane to split the provincial Health Department from the Social Development Department. Read more >>

New medical parole board members announced

Correctional Services Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula has announced the department's new medical parole board members, which will deal with medical parole applications from inmates. Read more >>

Cape Royale shares the love with Groote Schuur Newborns Trust

The Cape Royale Luxury Hotel & Spa celebrated Valentine's month by giving back to charity when its restaurant, 1800 Degrees at Cape Royale, raised R35 595 in aid of the Newborns Groote Schuur Trust by hosting a Valentine's Day charity dinner. The hotel also sponsored 35 AIDS orphans of the Love to Langa charity by making it possible for them to visit the historic World Heritage Site, Robben Island, during the month. Read more >>

Medical tax credits first step to NHI

[Paul Vecchiatto] The conversion of medical deductions into medical tax credits could be seen as the first step to get the population used to a National Health Insurance (NHI), says SA Revenue Service Commissioner Oupa Magashula. Read more >>

R1bn pumped towards NHI

Government has moved one step further towards the establishment of the massive National Health Insurance scheme for South Africa, with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan yesterday, 22 February, announcing an allocation of R1 billion to the scheme's pilot projects. Read more >>

New health facilities to prepare Mpuma for NHI

In a bid to create an environment conducive to the successful implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), seven community health centres and clinics will be constructed and existing facilities upgraded in Mpumalanga. Read more >>

Discovery excited about Ping An Health's potential

[Ray Faure] Health insurer Discovery says it remains excited about the potential of its Chinese joint venture Ping An Health and the ability to build a leading health insurance company in China. Read more >>

Vaccinating adults with new pneumonia vaccine more cost-effective, affirms Yale researcher

[Karen N. Peart] A new study suggests vaccinating adults against one of the most common causes of pneumonia with a new vaccine, which has virtually eliminated this infection in children, is more cost effective than using the current vaccine. Yale researcher Dr Eugene Shapiro agrees with the study's findings in an editorial published in the current issue of JAMA. Read more >>

Alcohol in movies linked to child boozing

PARIS, FRANCE: Stars who knock back whisky, wine or beer in a movie are an invisible but potent force in prompting youngsters to experiment with alcohol or binge-drink, a large US study published on Tuesday, 21 February, suggests. Read more >>

Training parents is good medicine for children with autism behavior problems

[Karen N. Peart] Children with autism spectrum disorders who also have serious behavioral problems responded better to medication combined with training for their parents than to treatment with medication alone, Yale researchers and their colleagues report in the February issue of Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Read more >>

Eating citrus lowers women's stroke risk

WASHINGTON, USA: Women who regularly eat citrus fruits such as oranges and grapefruit may have a lower risk of blood-clot related stroke, according to a US study published late last week. Read more >>

Prostate cancer treatment overused in some older patients

[Karen N. Peart] Treatment is not always warranted for older men with prostate cancer and a short life expectancy, Yale School of Medicine researchers report in the 27 February 2012 Archives of Internal Medicine. Read more >>

'Unemployable' nurses urged to upgrade qualifications

[Masoka Dube] Many aspiring nurses in Mpumalanga province are unemployable because they are under-qualified, says provincial Health Department spokesman Dumisani Mlangeni. Read more >>

Report reveals primary healthcare status in SA

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi says his department will use the 2010/2011 District Health Barometer (DHB) to reflect and reassess its interventions for the coming years. Read more >>

Budget Speech: Investment vital in IT

With the annual Budget speech due today, predictions are rife and economists wait with bated breath to analyse and discuss the implications it will likely have for the South African economy and of course, for businesses across industries in 2012. Read more >>

eThekwini Hospital performs its first kidney transplant

The eThekwini Hospital and Heart Centre's first renal transplant patients - Devendren and Raveena Naidu - are stable and doing well in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit. Read more >>