Healthcare news and intelligence for Southern Africa
Daily reporting for the pharmaceutical, medical scheme and hospital sectors, published by Health Matters since 1994.
8 October 2026
Cancer in South Africa is rising, with deaths forecast to nearly double by 2050. Learn what ageing, smoking and urbanisation mean for care.
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8 October 2026
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9 September 2026
Uncertain population estimates may distort childhood vaccination rates. Health officials are reviewing the data and its implications.
9 September 2026
South Africa's maternal mortality is falling too slowly to meet its 2030 target. Specialists urge earlier antenatal care and better support.
9 September 2026
Preventable maternal deaths stem from public health sector inequity and governance failures, not a lack of resources, an analysis argues.
9 September 2026
Portugal's FHC is entering South Africa's sterile injectables market, planning to build a local plant to challenge established players.
9 September 2026
Aspen has abandoned local lenacapavir production, citing no guaranteed demand, and is backing Merck's alimatravir pill instead.
9 September 2026
Discovery Group results for 2026 show profit up 17% to R17.75bn, driven by Discovery Health, the Bank's turnaround and global Vitality growth.
8 September 2026
Mandatory medical scheme membership for taxpayers could cut cover costs by up to 30%, HFA research finds, alongside a risk equalisation fund.
8 September 2026
The 2025 Mediscor Medicines Review shows medicine spend up 4.7%, with generics, chronic care and speciality drugs shaping affordability.
8 September 2026
Aspen Pharmacare earnings rose 22% as demand for Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Mounjaro surged, with the group also eyeing generic semaglutide.
8 September 2026
The government will bring traditional health practitioners into the NHI as regulation and benefit-sharing take shape.
3 September 2026
Lenacapavir HIV prevention could accelerate South Africa’s epidemic control, but severe supply constraints are limiting the rollout.
3 September 2026
New research on statins and dementia links earlier treatment to a 15% lower dementia risk in people with type 2 diabetes.
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