Health Market Inquiry (HMI) Report Released

The Health Market inquiry (HMI) established by competition commission to investigate South Africa’s private healthcare market released its provisional report on 5th July 2018 in the presence of the Minister of Health, media and stakeholders from healthcare sector. The HMI was chaired by Judge Sandile Ngcobo, a retired Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court. The Commission after 4 years of detailed investigation and multiple stakeholder consultations concluded that: Private health market is characterised by high and rising costs of healthcare and medical scheme cover; disempowered and uninformed consumers; and ineffective regulation and failures of accountability at many levels. The 808 page provisional report makes several interesting findings and lists out some recommendations including (but not limited to): Establishment of a supply side regulator to set the rules of the game and scrutinize the private sector: Measurement and Public reporting of health outcomes by the private providers to improve competition and inform patients about quality of care; Replacement of Certificates of Need with hospital licences for equitable spread of facilities across the country.

Cluster of presumptive Ebola cases in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cluster of presumptive Ebola cases in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo announced today that preliminary laboratory results indicate a cluster of cases of Ebola virus in North Kivu province. The announcement was issued little more than a week after the Ministry of Health declared the end of an outbreak in Equateur Province in the far western part of the country, some 2500 km from North Kivu.

Eswatini deworms at least 85% of school aged children

Leaners about to swallow albendazole

The Kingdom of Eswatini has surpassed the target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for deworming coverage and obtained 85% during the third round of the Mass Medicine Administration (MMA) campaign. The annual campaign was conducted from 11 to 27 June 2018.

Malawi hosts the first ‘Salt reduction intercountry workshop in the African Region’

Malawi hosts the first ‘Salt reduction intercountry workshop in the African Region’
From the 17 to 21 July the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the World Health Organization country office in Malawi hosted participants from 9 countries in Africa at a workshop on salt reduction and dietary interventions to prevent and control cardiovascular diseases and hypertension in particular. The nine countries represented were South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botwana, Swaziland, Namibia, Malawi and the Seychelles. The distinguished guests during the opening ceremony were Dr Charles Mwansambo who is the Chief of Health Services, Dr Leslie Mgalula, the Acting WHO Representative for Malawi and Dr Jones Masiye, the Head of the Non-communicable Diseases Unit in the Ministry of Health.

Botswana Continues To Explore Ways To Reduce Maternal Mortality

Health workers (Doctors and Midwives) from high maternal mortality burden hospitals

Gaborone, Botswana – 27 July 2018: The Ministry of Health and Wellness (MoHw) convened a national summit from 12th – 13th July 2018 to review progress in on-going efforts to reduce maternal mortality currently estimated at 157 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2016. This summit is a follow-up of outlined interventions to track progress in addressing the unacceptable high maternal mortality in the country. The MoHw had earlier organized two previous national summits for stakeholders on the same subject matter.

No Vaccine Derived Polio Outbreak in Uganda

WHO staff administers Polio Vaccine during the OPV campaign in Uganda

Kampala 27 July 2018:- In response to allegations made in the UN Reporter concerning the spread of Vaccine Derived Polio Outbreak in Congo to Uganda, The Ministry of Health and The WHO Country Office in Uganda would like to point out the following:
1.    There hasn’t been a wild polio case in Uganda since November 2010.
2.    However, the Democratic Republic of Congo has reported cases of Vaccine Derived Polio outbreak close to the border with Uganda. 

South Sudan strengthens preparedness and response for Ebola and other deadly diseases through Emergency risk communication

Participants posing for a group photo

Juba 26 July, 2018 – In an effort to implement the recommendations of the Joint External Evaluation (JEE) for International Health Regulations (2005) conducted in 2017, the Ministry of Health with support from the World Health Organization and other partners developed a roadmap to improve its capacity to prevent, detect, confirm, and rapidly respond to public health risks and emergencies.