Category: Africa,Health,South Africa,MBC

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English – Report:

Headline: World Health Organisation increases its technical support to Republic of South Africa in compliance with International Health Regulations

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has increased its technical support to South Africa to enable the country to contain the current outbreak of listeriosis and to strengthen health systems to prevent future outbreaks. This increased technical support provided by WHO is in line with International Health Regulations (IHR2005) and the recommendations to fill in the gaps identified through Joint External Evaluation (JEE).

Following the SADC Health Ministers meeting and conclusions thereof, WHO in consultation with the Government of South Africa, has agreed to increase its support to the Response effort. This is in keeping with provisions of the IHR to ensure that there is Outbreak containment while limiting disruption to trade. This is important given that some countries had imposed trade bans contrary to WHO recommendations regarding this Outbreak.

The WHO has enlisted a 7-member technical team comprising of epidemiologists, food safety experts, and risk communication specialists to support the response. The WHO team will continue working with the existing multi-sectoral team which includes Departments of Health, Agriculture and Trade and Industry among others.

This increased support by WHO is very much welcome by the Ministry of Health and the government of South Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: Department of Health.

Source: Africa Press Organisation – English – Report:

Headline: South Africa: Ms. Dunjwa Never Received a Letter from Concerned Group of Medical Professionals

The Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health Ms. Mary-Ann Dunjwa refutes the claim in the article carried by yesterday’s City Press (01 April 2018) that she received a letter from a concerned group of medical professionals raising concerns about victimisation of black candidates wanting to specialise in obstetrics and gynaecology and black examiners.

According to the article a concerned group of professionals is calling on Parliament to intervene on a matter of the removal of a black medical professor from examiners panel on allegations of leaking final questions in a gynaecology module exam.

“I never received a letter from a group of concerned medical professionals, furthermore no individual medical professional talked to me on behalf of a collective of medical professionals on the allegations mentioned in the article” emphasised Ms Dunjwa. Ms Dunjwa also find it shocking to see her name and her photograph in a newspaper without her side of the story to establish the authenticity of the claim that she received a letter before the article could be published. “I find this as a shoddy and unethical journalism. I deserved to be consulted before this claim could be published carrying my name and identity” said Ms Dunjwa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.