According to the results of a systematic review and meta-analysis conducted on a sample of over 480 thousand people, stair climbing demonstrates a link to a 39 percent reduction in the probability of death from cardiovascular diseases.
Furthermore, this form of physical activity contributed to a 24 percent decrease in overall mortality. The data from this study were officially published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs.
South Africa is facing a serious healthcare crisis, with over 1,500 vacant medical positions remaining in the country. The Ministry of Health has acknowledged that it lacks the capacity to track the exact number of community service doctors who remain unemployed, indicating systemic issues in workforce planning.
As of the end of March, there were 1,518 open medical posts in South Africa. However, the National Department of Health stated that it does not possess data on the number of community service doctors who are unemployed.
This statement comes amid growing concern from medical organizations regarding qualified doctors struggling to find employment, while the public healthcare system faces personnel pressure. The Department of Health reported that by the end of 2025, 1,891 doctors had completed their community service and were eligible for employment, but the department lacks a registry or record of unemployed medical workers.
A representative of the National Department of Health, Foster Mohale, noted that the department and the Minister have repeatedly stated in responses to parliamentary questions that the department has no registry or record of unemployed healthcare professionals (HCPs).
The Limpopo province had the highest number of vacant medical positions—360, followed by Gauteng with 280, KwaZulu-Natal with 246, and North West with 209. The Western Cape had 147 vacancies, the Free State had 95, the Eastern Cape had 88, Mpumalanga had 51, and the Northern Cape had 42.
The department clarified that funded positions are announced and included in the provinces' annual recruitment plans, and provinces continue to post advertisements and hire doctors based on available funded vacancies. Mohale emphasized that 'Provincial health departments continue to advertise and hire doctors according to available funded vacancies.'
It was stated that a review of service condition policies aims to improve efficiency and potentially create opportunities to fund more vacant positions through savings. Although the department cannot provide a figure on unemployed doctors, its PERSAL system recorded 1,655 appointments to first-class doctor positions, both permanent and temporary, by the end of May 2026. Of these, 664 were completed as part of community service in 2025, meaning that more than a third of doctor appointments were for doctors from the 2025 cohort.
A 27-year-old doctor from the Eastern Cape, who completed community service in 2025 and wished to remain anonymous, recounted that after finishing service, they applied for approximately 30–50 positions but received neither interviews nor feedback. This doctor moved to Johannesburg in search of better job opportunities and is forced to rely on temporary work in emergency departments and local clinics when openings arise.
The department stated that it has not received official complaints regarding denial of placement opportunities, particularly concerning bias, nepotism, or interference. It was also noted that doctors who complete mandatory community service register as independent practitioners with their professional councils, allowing them to work through various platforms, including overseas employment.
This data emerged following warnings from medical organizations that doctor unemployment and staff shortages in the public healthcare system are interconnected problems. Nhlanhla Mtize, secretary of the Gauteng province in the South African Health and Public Sector Employees' Union (HOSPERSA), stated that this issue cannot be viewed solely as an employment matter. He stressed that 'the problem must be seen not just as an employment challenge, but as a healthcare system and patient safety issue.'
HOSPERSA warned that constant pressure on doctors can lead to fatigue and burnout, and fatigue, in turn, can affect concentration, clinical judgment, and decision-making, potentially increasing the risk of medical errors.
The South African Medical Association (SAMA) reported in January 2025 that over 1,800 young doctors suffered from unemployment after completing community service. SAMA CEO, Dr. Mzulungile Theo Ndikida, noted that the situation points to a broader workforce planning issue. He stated that 'doctor unemployment and doctor shortages are two sides of the same workforce planning coin.'
SAMA and HOSPERSA noted that filling vacancies depends on funding, qualifications, registration requirements, specialization, and the needs of individual institutions. The department, for its part, continues to advocate for increased healthcare funding, especially investments in medical personnel. Mohale added that 'the department continues to advocate for targeted increases in healthcare allocations, especially investments in medical personnel.' Furthermore, the department prioritizes critical positions, reviews workforce planning models, and strengthens coordination of placements within community service.
A delegation from Uzbekistan, led by Abdulla Azizov, Director of the Agency for the Development of Medical and Pharmaceutical Industry, held a series of meetings in South Korea with companies and organizations operating in the fields of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medical technologies.
During these negotiations, the parties discussed opportunities for technology transfer, localization of production, and expanding investment cooperation.
In a meeting with Lee Young-ju, President of the Korean Medical Device Association (KMDA), participants discussed the potential for transferring medical equipment and technologies related to diagnostics, rehabilitation, and medical IT to Uzbekistan.
Furthermore, it was planned to involve over 730 KMDA member companies in production and investment projects in Uzbekistan.
During discussions with leaders of major South Korean pharmaceutical and cosmetic firms, participants reviewed prospects for developing Uzbekistan's pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. The discussed areas included attracting Korean brands, localizing production, and increasing the volume of investment cooperation.
Following the completion of the negotiations, agreements were reached to organize visits by representatives of Korean companies to Uzbekistan.
The Uzbek delegation also held talks with experts and leaders of Yonsei University Hospital and Asan Medical Center. The parties focused on the design and management of modern medical institutions, the implementation of advanced medical technologies, and improving hospital efficiency.
Special attention was paid to applying South Korea's experience in managing medical facilities in Uzbekistan. The goal of all meetings was to deepen practical partnership between Uzbekistan and South Korea in the fields of healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and medical technologies, as well as to develop investment projects and transfer advanced technologies.
The Ebola virus epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRCongo) has expanded to a sixth province, Bas-Uele, following the registration of a death, according to the director-general of CDC Africa. Jean Kaseya, head of the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, reported that the infected individual had traveled from Isiro in Haut-Uele province to Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele, where he died.
The situation in eastern DRCongo, which currently shows the fastest growth rate, is close to surpassing the deadliest outbreak in history, which occurred more than ten years ago and resulted in over 11,000 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) informed on Wednesday.
Since the epidemic was officially declared in DRCongo in May, the Ebola virus has already caused 2,128 deaths amid more than 4,566 confirmed cases, according to the latest data released by the Congolese Government.
This number of fatalities was reached almost three times faster than during the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, considered the worst in history. The spread of the disease occurs in an extremely challenging context, marked by strikes by unpaid health professionals, threats from rebel groups, discontent among already traumatized communities, and the circulation of disinformation denying the existence of Ebola.
To date, six of the twenty-six provinces of Congo have been affected. Simultaneously, health professionals at the Nizi Treatment Center, located in Ituri province—one of the most impacted regions—began a strike on the day in question, leading to the temporary closure of the center after alleging they had not received salaries for three months.
Mohamed Yakub Janabi, WHO's regional director for Africa, commented this week: 'We are chasing the virus; [but] the virus is ahead of us.' According to recent information provided by the WHO on Monday, the virus began circulating in eastern DRCongo in February, although research published in the journal 'Science' at the end of July suggested that the first infections might have occurred as early as January.
After the declaration of the epidemic in Ituri, the virus spread to neighboring Uganda, a country that announced it was 'Ebola-free' on July 28, after registering 20 confirmed cases, including 15 cases brought from DRCongo, two of which resulted in deaths.
The epidemic is linked to the Bundibugyo strain, whose mortality rate varies between 30% and 50%, and for which the WHO points to the absence of an authorized vaccine or specific treatment. The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with body fluids of infected humans or animals, causing severe hemorrhagic fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding.
