From Tuesday 25 to 27 July the The SA Health Professions Council (HPCSA) will continue to investigate misconduct against Limpopo MEC Health Dr Phophi Ramathuba over xenophobic remarks to a patient from Zimbabwe last year. Ramathoba appealed to the Pretoria High Court to urgently stop the hearing scheduled for 25-27 July but failed. She wanted this pending a subsequent request to overturn the HPCSA decision to conduct an investigation.
Read more at The Daily Maverick: Unrepentant Vuvi Ramathoba will face a second investigation over xenophobic rants in a patient from Zimbabwe
Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba. (Photo: Gallo Images/Sowetan/Sandile Ndlovu)
On Tuesday the 25th of July The Health Justice Initiative (HJI) will ask the Gauteng High Court to issue an order directing the Minister of Health and the Ministry of Health to disclose records relating to the purchase of Covid-19 vaccines by the national health ministry. Specifically, HJI is seeking access to vaccine procurement contracts with vaccine manufacturers and suppliers, and negotiation records with those parties.
The case will be heard on Tuesday 25 July 2023, by the Supreme Court of South Africa, Gauteng Division, Pretoria. Starting at 09:00 in the 4G courtroom. Case number: 10009/22
- See movement notice and argument heads here
- This case concerns the secrecy of vaccine procurement by the South African government and drug manufacturers mainly.
Tuesday 25 July It is World Drowning Prevention Day. Drowning is a leading cause of accidental death worldwide.
Each year, an estimated 236,000 people drown, making drowning a major public health problem worldwide. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children and young people between the ages of 1-24 years. Drowning is the third leading cause of death from unintentional injuries, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths. However, the global death burden from drowning is felt across all economies and regions.
On Wednesday, July 26th at 1:00 p.mMy Vote Counts (MVC) is hosting a webinar to challenge the party finance court. On 16 May 2023 My Vote Counts lodged an application in the Western Cape High Court challenging some aspects of the Political Party Finance Act. (PPFA)
This webinar will delve into quarterly disclosures and what makes MVC out of data, the need to strengthen the PPFA, and how the PPFA has fared since its implementation in 2021. The discussion will look at disclosures, the relationship between donors and parties, how undue influence can occur, as well as the need to strengthen the #PartyFundingAct.
Register here.
On Thursday, July 27th at 2 p.m There will be a webinar on implementing the social and economic rights of refugees and asylum-seekers in Africa.
The Socio-Economic Rights Project at the Doula Omar Institute of the University of the Western Cape invites you to a webinar on implementing the social and economic rights of refugees and asylum-seekers in Africa.
While important steps have been taken in international law, towards realizing the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers, recognition of the social and economic rights of refugees and asylum-seekers remains a major challenge at the national level in Africa. Refugees and asylum-seekers continue to face discriminatory practices and denial of their social and economic rights by host countries. This is explained by several factors, including the lack of localization of international norms and standards related to the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers, the lack of appropriate legislation to meet the needs of refugees and asylum-seekers, hostile tendencies and xenophobia, and the lack of political will by host countries to implement current standards on the rights of refugees and asylum-seekers. The situation has been exacerbated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus, which has pushed refugees and asylum seekers to the margins of society and made them more vulnerable to the negative consequences of the pandemic. In the post-Covid-19 era, refugees and asylum-seekers continue to face challenges with regard to their social and economic rights.
Against this background, this webinar seeks to discuss the various barriers to realizing the social and economic rights of refugees and asylum-seekers, and the opportunities that exist to overcome these barriers.
Coordinator: Gladys Mirogi-Mukunde (Dula Omar Institute, University of the Western Cape)
Speakers:
- Bright Nkrumah (Florida Gulf Coast University)
- Emma Charlene Lubell (Rhodes University School of Law)
- Caleste Cavuru (Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Stellenbosch University)
- Julie Lugolo (Kabarak University, Kenya)
Register here.
Wednesday, July 26th from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.joins Rural Health Advocacy Project Webinar questions whether provisions of the Public Procurement Law are sufficient to mitigate corruption risks.
The Rural Health Advocacy Project (RHAP) advocates for access to quality, comprehensive rural health care in South Africa A report entitled Procurement and Audit Outputs in the South African Health Sector will be launched. The discussion will be around the NHI, to answer the question “Are the provisions of the Public Procurement Law sufficient to mitigate the risks of corruption?” The webinar will host eminent academics and activists from the health, social and economic fields. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and contribute to the discourse on improving health care access and outcomes for rural communities.
Register here.
Thursday, July 27th from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.there will be Webinar Hosted by the National Economic Development and Labor Council (Nedlac) and the National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH), supported From the Compensation Fund, as part of the Department of Employment and Labor. Webinar entitled “Workplace Infectious Diseases” will address Nedlac stakeholder groups, NIOH stakeholder communities, and, in particular, workplace audiences. here.
On Friday, July 28th at 10:00 a.m., The Vineyard Hotel, Newlands, Cape Town will host the World Hepatitis Day press conference ‘You Don’t Know Until You Know’ by the Sub-Saharan African Gastroenterology and Hepatology Society (GSAA), as part of the launch of its programme.
The World Health Assembly, in which most countries in the WHO Africa region participate, agreed to the global elimination of viral hepatitis by 2030. All African member states of the WHO have signed the agreement. Many countries around the world are on track to achieve this. With the exception of champion nations like Rwanda and Egypt, most African nations, including South Africa, lag behind. In May 2024, he will host GSA African Viral Hepatitis Convention at CTICC, Cape Town. You will partner with the prestigious International Hepato-Pancreatico-Biliary Association (IHPBA) meeting happening simultaneously.
Register for the press conference here.
To confirm attendance or set up an interview with an expert, please email Bini Seale at [email protected]
July 28th is World Hepatitis Day. The United Nations says the day is “an opportunity to intensify national and international efforts on hepatitis, (Viral hepatitis is inflammation and damage to liver cells due to infection)encouraging action and participation by individuals, partners and the public and highlighting the need for a greater global response as outlined in the WHO Global Hepatitis Report 2017.
The date July 28 was chosen because it is the birthday of Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Baruch Blumberg, who discovered hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus. DM
