USA: Cancer patient’s dying wish erases $16m in people’s medical debt

A New York City woman who died of ovarian cancer has raised enough money to pay off millions of dollars in other people’s medical debts. In a social media post…

UK: Regulator banks on overseas doctors to fill 10,855 vacancies

Attracting skilled overseas-trained doctors to the UK will remain “crucial”, despite plans to train more healthcare staff here, the doctors’ regulator has said. The General Medical Council (GMC) found that…

India: Delhi air turns toxic after Diwali festival

Residents of India’s capital, Delhi, woke up to smoky skies as air quality dropped after the festival of Diwali. People in the city burst crackers late into Sunday night despite…

Somalia: President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud undergoes surgery in Abu Dhabi

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has undergone successful shoulder surgery in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the presidency says. Mr Mohamud is recovering well from the “minor” medical operation, his…

South Africa: Diphtheria outbreak hits Pollsmoor prison

A diphtheria outbreak has been declared at South Africa’s Pollsmoor Maximum Security Prison following the death of a 19-year-old inmate. Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the male inmate, who contracted…

Pakistan: Toxic smog forces authorities to shut cities

Toxic smog in eastern Pakistan has made thousands of people sick, forcing authorities to shut some cities for the rest of the week. Smog in the country’s second-largest city Lahore…

USA: Veteran gets world’s first eye transplant

Surgeons in New York say they have performed the world’s first complete eye transplant on a man, although it is not certain he will regain vision. Aaron James, who survived…

Ghana: Renal unit reopens after five-month closure

A major renal unit at Ghana’s publicly funded Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) in the capital, Accra, has reopened after a five-month closure. The country’s largest treatment centre for patients suffering…

India: Severe Delhi air pollution causes schools to shut

Authorities in the Indian capital, Delhi, have shut all primary schools for two days amid worsening levels of air pollution. Air quality in the city dropped to severe levels for…

Ghana: Patients die after renal unit shut – association

Nineteen kidney patients have died since Ghana’s largest renal centre closed in May due to funding difficulties, the president of the country’s Renal Patients Association has told the BBC. Kofi…