Netcare reports rise in revenue
READ: City of Joburg squares up with Milpark Hospital over disputed R35m debt
The company also scored healthy profits in 2024 despite a decline in patient days and high inflation related to wages and medical consumables.
The CEO of Netcare Dr Richard Friedland discussed the results with eNCA.
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TimesLIVE
01-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Mass vaccination against bird flu to start soon: Steenhuisen
South Africa will soon embark on its first-ever vaccination of poultry as a proactive measure to minimise the risk of bird flu outbreaks, agriculture minister John Steenhuisen said on Tuesday. This follows the department of agriculture's issuance of a vaccination permit to Astral Foods on Monday, authorising the company to begin vaccinating against the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus at one of its broiler breeder farms. The department said the vaccination campaign will begin with 200,000 broiler breeders, representing about 5% of Astral's total breeding stock, valued at an estimated R35m. Steenhuisen welcomed this milestone as a testament to the strong partnership between government and the poultry industry in safeguarding national food security and protecting the livelihoods of thousands of South Africans. The vaccination campaign was a vital step to strengthen flock immunity and prevent the devastating economic losses witnessed during previous outbreaks, Steenhuisen said. The 2023 outbreak resulted in millions of birds being culled, which led to severe supply disruptions that affected both producers and consumers. He said the vaccine being used, targeting the H5 strain of the virus, was already approved for use in other countries implementing vaccination strategies against HPAI.
The Citizen
01-07-2025
- The Citizen
Bara hospital: The good, bad and ugly
The hard reality of a large state hospital and what it offered came as a sharp corrective. I was shortly to be transported from my bed in a very public – and noisy – ward onto a gurney and thence to the theatre. There, a growing tumour was to be removed from my bladder. For I was in Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Soweto. While awaiting my imminent hour of reckoning in theatre, I contemplated my brief journey to that moment. It had all started a little over eight weeks previously when I had been incarcerated in a Netcare hospital seeking relief from a burgeoning sarcoma adjacent to my chest wall. This malevolent growth had bloomed in a few short weeks, inducing, in the latter stages, chattering cold followed by blazing fevers on a daily basis. And with an infection count of 200 – normal is zero – I was swiftly whisked into the high care ward of the hospital. There were 14 beds curtained off, each with a TV screen and a locker for the few belongings. Nurses, perhaps one for every two patients, clean towels, a green hospital gown into which you were expected to change and wear and two fully equipped bathrooms, plus several washing stations with soap dispensers. And as expected, spotlessly clean. As for the meals, they are definitely edible, top boarding school stuff. Ultrasound and MRI scans, chest X-rays and all other preparatory procedures were conducted swiftly and efficaciously. ALSO READ: 'I could die before surgery': Cancer patient lost in Gauteng hospitals backlog Your nurse could be summoned by the simple act of pressing a button, and lo! She manifested. Once the operation was concluded, a visiting physio forced one to get out of bed and move around. All of the above I recalled in a haze, which blurred into my arrival at Bara. A total of 20 hours patiently queuing with a few hundred others over two days seeking admission, which, once granted, involved my finding my way from urology to ECGs and X-rays, through pharmacy and into accident and emergency, where I was informed my transport to a faraway ward could be accessed. Carrying just a small canvas bag containing basic toiletries and a few snacks, I was squeezed into an already overloaded minibus and careened off through the vast confusion of Bara. Finally, I arrived at a vast modern complex built to accommodate large numbers of Covid-19 patients, which never happened. I set about finding my ward. Echoing long, empty corridors and passing several empty or half-empty wards, I finally arrived. Large cubicles simply furnished… my own was equipped with a bed, a thin blanket and a thinner pillow encased in a thick plastic covering. There were no lights behind the beds, allowing one to read. And there was a small locker. Nothing to change into, no gowns provided, the good-natured nurses smiled apologetically. There were two large lavatories cum shower rooms, both spotless. But, sadly, no soap or towels. More smiling apologies. ALSO READ: Gauteng hospitals get major tech overhaul to slash scan backlogs The toilet bowls are clean, but they are devoid of seats. The harsh reality of a large state hospital and its offerings came as a sharp corrective. The next day, I was transferred back into the main hospital building – the surgical ward where patients due for imminent surgery were bedded. This was bedlam compared to the calm, quiet half-empty ward in which I had spent the previous night. Patients head to toe in a corridor, in which I was shown my bed. Of privacy in a cubicle, there was none, of lockers, there were none. Nor were there blankets on my bed, so two large coats were found and thrown over me. Nor was I offered anything to wear. The following morning I was handed a pair of hospital pyjamas unnervingly similar to concentration camp uniforms and, of course, forbidden any food I nervously awaited the inevitable. I had already received visits from the young anaesthetist and one of the surgical team members, who had done their best to calm my fluttering nerves. Finally, the moment of reckoning. A porter arrived with the gurney, I climbed on, nerves jangling uncontrollably and then, as we moved, unbelievably and unexpectedly, the sound of singing. Had I died and gone to heaven? It was the Lord's prayer, voices exquisitely harmonised. Around the corner in the main ward, they stood – a small shimmering complement of young women who sang. All fear evaporated as I was wheeled at speed to the anteroom outside the theatre, my anxieties utterly stilled. In that lucid calm, I knew I was safe. NOW READ: Alarm raised over 'R1.7bn fire safety gap' at Charlotte Maxeke hospital
TimesLIVE
14-06-2025
- TimesLIVE
Gowns, chairs and school shoes donated by health groups bring comfort to little ones
Bringing comfort closer for patients, two healthcare companies have joined forces in support of Bertha Gxowa Hospital, a Gauteng provincial facility. Custom-made chairs were supplied by Universal Care to help meet the need for comfortable seating in specific waiting areas around the Germiston hospital while 1,755 pairs of hospital pyjamas, nightdresses and gowns for patients ranging from the ages of one to 12 years were provided by Performance Health. 'Our ongoing relationship with state healthcare facilities such as Bertha Gxowa Hospital enables us to respond swiftly to critical needs, from antimicrobial and sporicidal curtains to these essential comfort items,' said Dr Nono Ledwaba-Mweli, medical director of Universal Care. 'This collaboration is vital not only for immediate improvements but also for building a sustainable healthcare system where patient dignity and comfort are prioritised alongside clinical care.' Dr Mandisa Maholwana, MD at Performance Health, said: 'Patient comfort plays a crucial role in recovery and morale. We remain committed to supporting healthcare facilities wherever possible.' On Friday, 700 pairs of shoes were handed over to children at a rural school in Magaliesburg. The event was to acknowledge the milestone of 300,000 pairs of school shoes donated by the 'My Walk Made With Soul' NPO since its inception in 2020 as an upcycling collaboration between Netcare and Adcock Ingram Critical Care. The shoes are made from recycled materials from Adcock Ingram's Critical Care manufacturing facility, which produces drip bags and tubing from polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and offcuts from participating Netcare hospitals in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
