Contents - MM3 Admin€¦ · Fat Burner”. A number of endocrinologists have recently noted...

HEALTHMANPRIVATEPRACTICEREVIEWFebruary2018

February2018

Asummaryofbreakingnewsandgeneralinformationregardinghealthcareinthepublicandprivatesector,publishedinthemedia.

Contents1. FoodforThought2. ViewonSpecialNews3. ViewonGovernment4. FinancialViews5. ViewonNewProducts6. ViewonGeneralNews7. ViewonMedicalSchemes8. SpecialNotices

FoodforThought

Publicservantsarethenew‘labourelite’"SA’spublicsectorwagebill

nowswallowsnearly35%of

thebudgetand14%ofGDP.

"Notonlyisthiswayoutoflinewithotheremerging

economies,itisextremebyvirtuallyanymeasure–includingdeveloped

economies"–CiaranRyan,Moneywebon

Monday12February.

Treasury’sMedium-Term

Budgetpublishedlatelastyear

hasshowedpublicsector

wagesincreasedat10.3%a

yearsince2009,considerably

abovetherateofinflation.Up

to70%ofsomeprovinces’

healthbudgetsgotowages.

Oneofthekeyfiguresbeing

monitoredintheupcoming

budgetonFebruary21isthe

sizeofallocationtopublic

sectorwages.

AdrianSaville,CEOofCannonAssetManagers,arguesthatthegovernmentwagebillis

alreadyatanunsustainable

levelandanyhikewillonly

exacerbatetheproblem.

“Thereisnogovernanceandnoaccountabilityinrespectofthespend.Thisperpetuatesasysteminwhichspendingcontinuestorisewithoutregardforimpactoreffectiveness.”

Accordingtoastudy:

Demographic,Employment,

andWageTrendsinSouth

AfricabyUNU-WIDER,the

BrookingsInstitutionandthe

DevelopmentPolicyResearch

Unit(DPRU)attheUniversityof

CapeTown:

"Unionisedpublicsectorworkershavebecomethe

new'labourelite'."

AccordingtotheOECD’s2017EconomicSurveyofSAthepublicsectorwagebillisat

35.3%ofthebudget.

Despiteafreezeonpublic

sectoremploymentin2015and

2016,theOECDsaysfurther

effortscouldbemadetolimit

annualwageincreasesby

reallocatingworkerstoareas

wheretheyaremoreneeded,

suchashealthandeducation.

Lastyear,MikeSchussler,the

chiefeconomistat

Economists.co.za,warnedthat

SAcouldnolongerafforda

bloatedcivilservice,andthat

theonlywayoutwasamassive

privatesectorjobcreationdrive.

"Butthatwouldrequire

governmenttoabandon

policiesthatstoodinthewayof

investmentandjobgrowth,"

wroteRyan.

Graphics:FiguresfromOECD,publishedonMoneyweb,12February2018

ViewonSpecialNews

SASOP'sviewoncannabis

SEMDSA'swarnspatientsabout'TheSecretFatBurner'

Inapressreleaseregardingits

positiononcannabis,SASOP

notesitsconcernasagrowing

publicperceptionofcannabis

asa‘harmless’plant.Areview

articlebytheWHO(2016)

concludedthatcurrent

evidencepointstoamodest

contributorycausalrolefor

cannabisinschizophreniaand

thataconsistentdose-

responserelationshipexists

betweencannabisusein

adolescenceandtheriskof

developingpsychotic

symptomsorschizophrenia.

SASOPcommendedtheMCC’s

decisiontolimittheuseof

cannabisformedicinal

purposesandsupports

ongoingresearch.

SEMDSA,TheSocietyforEndocrinology,Metabolismand

DiabetesofSAissuedapressreleasewarningabout“TheSecret

FatBurner”.Anumberofendocrinologistshaverecentlynoted

patientsusing“TheSecretFatBurner”presentingwithoveractive

thyroid(thyrotoxicosis).

SEMDSAhashadtheaboveproducttestedbyanindependent

accreditedlaboratory,andthetestresultsfoundthatthecapsules

containedHydrochlorothiazide,Sibutramine,Levothyroxine(T4)

andTriiodothyronine(T3).Noneofthesesubstancesare

mentionedintheproduct’sinformationleaflet,whichmeansthe

productisaclassifieda“secretremedy”,theuseofwhichis

prohibitedbytheHealthProfessionsCouncilofSouthAfrica.

TheproductisalsonotapprovedbytheMedicinesControl

Council(MCC),butisadvertisedonsocialmedia.

Symptomsassociatedwithconsumptionofthisproductmay

include:palpitations,anxiety,heatintolerance,aggravationofhigh

bloodpressureandcardiaccomplicationssuchasatrialfibrillation

andheartfailurewhichmaybepotentiallylife-threatening.

ProtectingPatientDatain2018

Thenewyearisuponusandformanyit’sstartedwithabang.Butalthoughtheremaybeaneedtogetbackintoroutineasfastaspossible,therearealsoelementsinthetypicalday-to-dayworkingsofyourpracticethatyoushouldbereviewingandonesuchelementistheprotectionofpatientdata.

Ensuringthesecurityofpatientdatashould

alwaysbeatoppriority,butyouwanttoavoid

datasecuritysolutionsbecomingabottleneckto

productivity.Herearesometipsthatyoucan

implementwithinyourpracticetogiveyouthe

mosttimewithyourpatients,safeinthe

knowledgethatdataissecurelystored.

NewYear,newpasswordsIt’sagoodideatoregularlyupdatepasswords

andpasscodesacrossyourpracticeandwhile

it’stemptingtorecycleoldpasswords,itshould

beavoided.Ensurethateverystaffmemberwith

accesstopatientandpracticedataupdatestheir

passwordstoaminimumofsixupperandlower

casecharacters,includingatleastonenumeric

andonesymbol

characterandfreeofconsecutiveidentical

characters.

Ifthethoughtofchangingpasswordsmakesyou

wanttohittheeggnog,investigatepassword

managerprogramsthatwillsafelystoreyour

passwordsandyouonlyhavetorememberone

masterpassword.

Gopaper-lightIfyou’restillusingpaperinyourpractice,ensure

thatlettertraysaren’tplacedonthefrontdeskin

fullviewofotherpatientsintheconsultingrooms.

Keepthembehindthedesk,outofsightandfile

paperworkdailyinacontrol-accessroom.And

besuretodisposeofpaperrecordsappropriately

andinaccordancewithPOPIA.

Formoredataprotectiontipstostart2018onagoodnote,clickhere.

Button

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Ourthreepillarsoffinancialserviceexcellence:

1. MedicalpracticemanagementThroughour‘Medicalpracticemanagement’and‘Medicalandhospitalpracticemanagement

‘wetakethehassleandthegrindoutofyour‘daytoday’medicaladministrativeissueswith

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2. AccountingandbankingservicesWithateamofqualifiedaccountantsandAuditorsweprovideaprofessionalcomprehensive

bouquetofaccountingandbankingservicestoprivateindividualsandcorporatecompanies.

Wewillcoverallyourrequirementsregardlessofthesizeornatureofyourbusinessor

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ViewonGovernment

LifeEsidimeni:Familiestoreceivecompensation

MedicinepatentdraftpolicysettogotoCabinet

OnThursday,8FebruaryNews24reportedthat

theStateandclaimantsintheLifeEsidimeni

arbitrationhearingshavereachedanagreement

ondamagesinsomeoftheclaimsbythe

familieswholostlovedonesduringthetransfer

ofmentalhealthpatientstoanumberof

unlicensedNGOs.AdvocateAdilaHassim,

appearingonbehalfofSection27,representing

thefamiliesof74people’sfamiliessaidtheState

hadagreedtoaR20000claimperfamilyfor

funeralexpenses,andR180000foremotional

shockandpsychologicalinjury,andcounselling

services.

Thenumberofpeoplewhodiedafterbeing

movedfromthecareofLifeEsidimenicould

reach156.ThehearingswasfinalisedonFriday,

9thFebruaryandformerChiefJusticeDikgang

Moseneke,willlaterreleasehisfindings,

includingoncompensation.

"IfeelpeoplehavebeenbetrayedandIalsofelt

betrayedastheMinisterofHealth.Thishas

tarnishedthehealthsystemofthecountry,"said

HealthMinisterAaronMotsoalediatthehearing.

TheTradeandIndustryDepartmentexpectsto

submitarevisedversionofitsdraftintellectual

propertypolicytotheCabinetbytheendof

March.Thedepartmentisfacingintenselobbying

fromhealthactivistsandpharmaceutical

companiesasthedraftpolicyproposescloser

scrutinyofpatentapplicationsformedicines,a

simplersystemforissuingcompulsorylicences

andmechanismsfortighteningthecriteriafor

grantingpatents.

TheInnovativePharmaceuticalAssociationofSA

(IPASA)criticisedthedraftpolicywhenitwas

released,sayingitplacedtoomuchemphasison

drugfirms’“ever-greening”patentsonmedicines.

Thedraftpolicycoveredonlythefirstphaseof

thegovernment’soverhaulofitsintellectual

propertyregime,whichtargetedpublichealth

andintergovernmentalcoordination.

Phasetwowillincludeintellectualpropertyrights

intheinformalsector,agricultureandgenetic

resources,aswellasthebrandingofSAgoods

andservices.

ViewonhealthcareintheProvinces

LimpopoHealthcareindirestraits

ProtestinghealthcareworkersinLimpopowarnedthatthehealthdepartment’smoneyproblems

couldbekeepingpaychecksoutofdoctors’handsandhealthworkersoutofclinics.Doctors

complainthatthestatecannolongerpayforovertimewhilenursingunionssaytheprovinceis

renegingoncommitmentstoemploymedicalbursaryholders.About80%of21Limpopoclinics

surveyedbyTACwereshortstaffed.Theoppositionpartyclaimsthatthedepartmenthasoverspent

itsbudgetbyR1.7-bnsincethestartofthefinancialyear.Asof2014/2015,salariesateupnearly

65%ofprovincialhealthbudgets,accordingtoaJuly2016paperbythenon-profitorganisationthe

RuralHealthAdvocacyProject(RHAP).

Gauteng:R1-bnformedicalnegligence

KwaZulu-Natal:OncologistsfromCubaandIndia

NorthernCapeMentalhospitalforKimberley

TheGautengDoHforkedout

overR1-bninsettling185

medicalnegligencecasesfrom

January2015toMaylastyear,

accordingtoMECGwen

Ramokgopa.76%ofthecases

werefor50casesofbrain-

damagedbabies.

ChrisHaniBaragwanath

AcademicHospitalinSoweto

hadthemostcasesagainstit,

withR514-mpaidto44

claimants.

KZNeyesoncologistsfrom

CubaandIndiaasnoonewill

workinstatehospitals.

Durbanstilldoesnothavea

singlepermanentoncologistat

itstwostatehospitals

designatedtoaddresscancer

treatment.

TheKZNhealthdepartmentis

nowworkingonplanstoimport

oncologistseitherfromCubaor

Indiatomitigatethecancer

treatmentcrisis.

Itisadecadebehindschedule

andcostmorethansixtimes

more(R1.86-bn)thanoriginally

planned,buttheKimberly

MentalHealthHospitalwill

finallybecompletednext

month.Thehospitalwillreplace

theFreeStatePsychiatric

Complex(OranjeHospital),

whichwillbedecommissioned.

However,thereisaquestion

markoverwhetherthe

provincialhealthdepartment

hasthemoneytorunthe

facility.

FinancialViews

Drugmakerswantanotherpricehike

Pharmaceuticalmanufacturersarelobbyingthe

DoHtogivethemanextrapriceincreasefor

privatesectorsales,inanattempttosoftenthe

blowofthemodestraise(1,26%)permittedfor

2018.

The2018SEPincreasefailedtocovertherisein

inputcostsfacedbymanufacturersintheyear,

saidStavrosNicolaou,

chairmanofPharmaceuticalsMadeinSA.

Hesaidtheformulaappliedbythedepartment

doesnotconsiderglobalmarketdynamicsor

materialchangestoinputcostssuchasutilities

andlabour.

TheBoardofHealthcareFundersof

SouthernAfrica(BHF)approvedofthe

1,26%increase.

ViewonNewProducts

Testcandetect8typesofcancerinadropofblood

NovoNordiskaimstobreakmouldwithnewpill

ResearchersintheUShavereportedthatatest,

dubbedCancerSEEK,wasdevelopedbyJohns

HopkinsUniversity.Itlooksfor16DNAmutations

aswellas8proteins(biomarkers)associated

withcancer.

CancerSEEKwastestedon1000patientswith

cancersintheovary,liver,stomach,pancreas,

oesophagus,colon,lungorbreast.Thetestwas

70%accurateatspottingpeoplewithcancer.

Denmark’sNovoNordisk-theworld’sbiggest

insulinmaker-wantstotransformthediabetes

marketwithaonce-dailypillthatbelongstoa

blockbusterclassoftreatmentsknownasGLP-1s

thatstimulateinsulinproduction.

IfNovogetsoverthepricinghurdle,thenewpill

issettoreshuffletreatmentregimens,withoral

semaglutidebeingusedasasecondorthird

treatmentoptionaftercheap,genericmetformin.

ViewonGeneralNews

Globalpushtotrack‘superbugs’

'SAHealthsystemwasbetterunderapartheid'

TheMedicalResearchCouncil(MRC)andthe

FoundationforInnovativeNewDiagnostics

(FIND)signedamemorandumofunderstanding

onantibioticresistance,inanefforttoboost

collaborationincombating“superbugs”.

Globally,anestimated700000peoplediefrom

drug-resistantstrainsofcommonbacterial

infectionseachyear.Scientistsfearifavailable

antibioticsarenotusedmorejudiciously,and

newonesdevelopedmorerapidly,theworld

mayreturntothepre-antibioticerawhenan

infectedscratchorinsectbitecouldprove

deadly.

ListeriosisoutbreakinSA

ThedeathcountinSA’slisteriosisoutbreak-the

worstdocumentedlisteriosisoutbreakinglobal

history-hastopped100.Accordingtothe

NationalInstituteofCommunicableDiseases

(NICD)thenumberofconfirmedlisteriosiscases

was852‚and107peoplehaddied.

Thedeathratewas30%.Roughlytwo-thirdsof

caseshavebeenconfirmedinstatehospitals.

EconomicFreedomFront(EFF)leaderJulius

Malemahasclaimedthatpublichealthcare

serviceswerebetterduringapartheidthanthey

arenowundertheANCgovernment.Hereferred

towhathecalleda“nationalhealthcrisis”,which

theEFFisplanningtoexpose.

Heexplainedhowafunctioningclinicin

Limpopo,builtduringapartheid,wasclosedby

thecurrentgovernment.TheEFFdeclared2018

theyearofpublichealthcare.

Abortion:legalserviceperformedmostlyillegally

Healthworkerswhorefusetohelpwomenwho

wantabortionsaredrivingthemintothearmsof

illegalabortionistswhoperformmorethanhalfof

thecountry’sprocedures.ShenillaMohamed,

executivedirectorofAmnestyInternationalSA,

saiditwasofmajorconcernthatfewerthan7%

ofhealthinstitutionsofferedsafeabortions,and

thatmorethan50%ofabortionswerecarriedout

bybackstreetabortionists.

Teenpregnanciesdown;TBcureup;NCD'sontheincrease

Pregnancyandcondoms

Lessthan7%ofallhospitalbirthsweretoteenmothersin

2016/17,withthelowestinGauteng(lessthan5%).

Adecadeagoalmost15%ofteenagegirlswerelikelytofall

pregnant,accordingtotheDistrictHealthBarometer2016/17

(DHB).

WhileHIVandTBratesaredroppingslightly,acollection

ofnon-communicablediseases(NCD)-particularly

cerebrovasculardiseases,ischaemicheartdiseaseand

diabetes–areontheincrease.

ThecurerateforTBnowstandsat81%-thehighestsince

2005-accordingtotheDHB.

InMarch2013SAintroducedbedaquiline,usedfor

patientswithdrug-resistantTB,andtodate9650drug

resistantTBpatientshavebeenputontoabedaquiline-

basedregimen.

MeanwhileSA’sfirstsurveytoassesstheincidenceof

tuberculosisinthecountryhasbeencommissionedbythe

NationalHealthDepartmentandwillenrolanestimated55

000participants.

Hardlyanypregnantwomen

arehavingsafesex,leaving

themathighriskofHIV

infection,accordingateamled

bySimnikiweMayaphi,a

medicalvirologistatthe

UniversityofPretoria.Ofthe7

886pregnantHIV-negative

womenquestioned99.5%had

hadrecentunprotectedsex.Of

the1661HIV-negativemen

andwomen

recruitedatcounsellingand

testingclinics,88.5%admitted

havingunprotectedsexinthe

lastthreemonths.Almosttwo

thirdsofthepeoplequestioned

didnotknowtheirpartner’sHIV

status.

Circulars:CouncilforMedicalSchemes

ThefollowingCircularswerepublishedbytheCMSinOctober.Visitwww.medicalschemes.co.zaformoreinfo.

1of2018QuarterlyStatutoryReturnsSubmission(31/12/2017)

2of2018PersonalMedicalSavingsAccountandSchemeRules

3of2018HealthcareUtilisationAnnualStatutoryReturns(31/12/2017)

4of2018PostponementoftheManagedCareWorkshop

5of2018InductionProgrammeforBrokers

6of2018ReiewofthePrescribedMinimumBenefits-UpdateandCallforInputs

7of2018CategorisationofAssetsintermsofAnnexureBtotheRegulations

SpecialNotices

PrivatePsychiatryPracticeinKlerksdorpupforgrabs

Establishedpractice(about2800activeout-patientfiles)withconsultingroomsattheSunningdale

HospitalinWilkoppies,Klerksdorp,NorthWestProvince.

Workinassociation(andsharetheconsultingroombuilding)withDrHenrietteSmith,long-

establishedandexperiencedpsychiatristinprivatepractice;

Scopetodosessionsinthestatesector;

Excellentprivateadmissionfacilitiesavailable;

Scopeofpracticeincludegeneraladultpsychiatry;childandadolescentpsychiatry;geriatric

psychiatry;andmedico-legalorforensicwork.

(Currentreceptionistandpersonalassistantarewillingtostayonifrequired.)

Reasonforgivinguppractice:RelocatingtoCanada.

Contact:DrHendrikPotgieter0825616265(allhours)

ORDrHenrietteSmith0827763171(allhours)

VacancyforPaediatricianatBusamedPrivateHospital,Harrismith

BusamedPrivateHospitalinHarrismithiscurrentlylookingforaPaediatrician.

Shouldyouwishtoapply,pleasesendyourdetailedCV,accompaniedwithqualificationcertificates

to:

Thulasizwem@busamed.co.zaorPortiaMa@busamed.co.zaForqueries,pleasecontact(058)624-3004.Facebook:www.facebook.com/busamedhph

ConsultingRoomstoRentinBryanston

BonaDeaCentreisanestablishedandgrowing

multidisciplinarycentreinBryanston.Theteam

currentlycomprisesofanadultgeneral

psychiatrist,clinicalandcounseling

psychologists,psychometristand

neurotherapist/EEGtechnician.

Wehavejustmovedtobiggerpremisesandare

lookingforaChildandAdolescentPsychiatristto

joinourteam.

WearealsolookingforanEducational

psychologist,OccupationalTherapist,

Physiotherapist,SpeechTherapist/Audiologist

andDietician.

Weareofferingrentalofspace,services,a

referralnetworkandsubstantialonlinepresence

withawell-establishedwebsite.Eachtherapist

runstheirownprivatepractice.

Pleasee-mailDrBarbaraPierce:

drbjpierce@gmail.comor

TrixO’Callaghan:

trix@bonadeacentre.co.za

PrivateSalePlettenbergBay

WhaleRockHeights.337squaremetersinagatedestate.

Plans,waterconnection,engineeredretaining&boundarywallsbuilt.

BargainatR380000.

Phone:0748016129

Email:sidsingh@iafrica.com

OnasuccessfulsaletoaPMGmember,IpledgeR10000tothePMGforallowingexposuretotheir

membership.R5000isalsopledgedtothePLETTBITOUFIREVICTIMSDISASTERRELIEFFUND.

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