ANC: Health dept must probe illegal abortions

The ANC in Gauteng on Tuesday called on the Health Department to probe the peddling of pills used for inducing labour to terminate pregnancy.

Health dept acknowledges hospital woes

Remuneration, ageing infrastructure and general and financial management continue to hamper the public health system in South Africa.

DA: South Africa's 'non-response' to swine flu worrying

The South African government's "non-response" to the outbreak of swine flu was worrying, the Democratic Alliance said on Tuesday.

Manto may be in contempt of court, says Public Protector

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang may be guilty of contempt of court for criticising a ruling that allowed the Sunday Times to comment on her health records, the Public Protector said on Wednesday. The Public Protector made this finding while investigating a complaint of misappropriation of funds against the Health Ministry.

Rights commission to monitor baby-deaths probe

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) will monitor investigations into the cause of the deaths of nearly 80 Eastern Cape babies, the body announced on Friday. Earlier this week, reports emerged that 78 children from the Eastern Cape had died as a result of diarrhoea allegedly caused by contaminated water.

Govt to curb private healthcare costs

The government is to intervene to curb rocketing private healthcare costs and prevent the sector's "demise", Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Tuesday. The health charter task team, among others, has been discussing the challenge of making healthcare more affordable, she told the National Assembly's health committee.

Manto: 11-million condoms recalled after quality concerns

The Health Department recalled 10,8-million condoms after the country was hit by "quality issues" during last year, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Sunday. "Yes, we have had a challenge recently with regard to quality issues, but once this was brought to our attention we acted on the matter."

Manto: Traditional healers important in Aids fight

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang on Thursday vowed to continue engaging traditional healers on health issues, saying they were important partners in the fight against HIV/Aids. "Some people might be resisting traditional healers, but I believe we are on the right track," she said.

Botswana confirms first case of XDR-TB

Health authorities on Wednesday reported the first known cases of virtually untreatable tuberculosis in Botswana. The Health Ministry said there were two cases of so-called extremely drug resistant tuberculosis, or XDR-TB, as well as 100 cases of the slightly more manageable multidrug-resistant TB, or MDR-TB.

Manto to meet private hospitals over tariff hikes

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang will meet heads of private hospital groups to discuss drastic hospital tariff increases, the Health Department said on Thursday. The meeting would take place on Friday to discuss the tariff increases from 8% to 33%, "well above the general inflation rate", said department spokesperson Charity Bhengu.

More defective condoms dumped in KZN

Another illegal dumping ground of tens of thousands of defective condoms has been found in KwaZulu-Natal, the provincial department of agriculture and environmental affairs said on Wednesday. Locals found the condoms strewn on the road near a primary school on the main road to Indwedwe on Christmas Day.

Negligence costs Health Dept millions

Negligence or malpractice at public hospitals has cost the Health Department millions of rands in damages awards over the past few years, Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang has said. However, such cases are rare exceptions to the usually excellent care provided, she said in a written reply to a parliamentary question by Gareth Morgan of the Democratic Alliance.

Govt faces R5-billion lawsuit after condom scandal

Three condom suppliers, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS), Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang and Finance Minister Trevor Manuel face a R5-billion class-action lawsuit over defective condoms the Health Department distributed earlier this year, a media report said on Friday.

Assembly backs embattled Manto

The National Assembly on Thursday adopted a motion of full confidence in Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, thereby rejecting the original motion by the Democratic Alliance, which called for a special committee to probe her fitness to hold public office.

Defective condoms found scattered north of Durban

Following a tip-off from a member of the public, about 100 000 unused defective condoms were found scattered at an illegal dumping site in the Ntande area near Etafuleni in Inanda, north of Durban, on Saturday, the provincial department of agriculture and environmental affairs said.

Health Department targets HIV prevention

The Health Department is intensifying its HIV-prevention programme, particularly for mother-to-child transmissions, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said on Tuesday. The minister was speaking at the first Global-World HIV/Aids Alliance conference held in Richards Bay.

Will Public Protector probe Manto ads?

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has written to the Public Protector to complain about the Health Department's advertisements placed in various newspapers last week to protest against a judge's failure to interdict the Sunday Times over its reports on the medical records of Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

Manto newspaper ads meet stiff opposition

Full-colour advertisements placed in a number of national newspapers on Friday by the Health Department defending its Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, were a waste of taxpayers' money, the Democratic Alliance said. The United Democratic Movement also criticised the advertisements.

Parties urge action on HIV-baby reports

As opposition parties called for urgent action to address the "crisis" of HIV infection in babies attending state hospitals, the Health Department took steps on Monday to get to the bottom of the matter. The department was concerned at media reports "alleging there have been cases of HIV infection as a result of inadequate infection-control measures".

TAC: Manto's statement 'a gross distortion of the truth'

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang's statement concerning dual-therapy HIV treatment was a "gross distortion of the truth", the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) said on Tuesday. According to Tshabalala-Msimang, a 2001 court judgement limited her department to implementing only monotherapy nevirapine to HIV-positive pregnant mothers.

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