NAIROBI, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- A new drug that is expected to lower malaria transmission among pregnant women living with HIV was unveiled Tuesday by Kenya and Malawian scientists, following rigorous trials.

Through research findings published in the Lancet, a prestigious medical journal, the scientists noted that the addition of the antimalarial drug dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine to other existing medications will significantly reduce the risk of malaria infection among pregnant women who are HIV positive.

"We celebrate these findings that propose an additional arsenal against a disease that risks about 70 percent of our population," said Elijah Songok, the acting director general of Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), in a statement released in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.

According to Songok, malaria in pregnancy can trigger life-threatening complications including miscarriage, stillbirth, pre-term delivery, and growth restriction of newborn babies.

He added that co-infection with HIV could be fatal to pregnant women, necessitating the urgency to develop novel drugs that could reduce infections in highly endemic sub-Saharan African nations.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends daily doses of the antibiotic co-trimoxazole to prevent malaria in pregnant women living with HIV, according to researchers at KEMRI.

As malaria parasites become increasingly resistant to the antibiotic, its efficacy has waned, prompting researchers to explore new medication tailor-made for highly endemic African nations, noted the scientists.

Feiko ter Kuile, a professor of Tropical Epidemiology at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and the study lead, said the new drug reduced malaria incidences among pregnant and HIV-positive women by 68 percent, based on clinical trial results.

The new drug demonstrated high safety and tolerance levels, preventing two out of three malaria infections during pregnancy, noted Hellen Barsosio, a clinical research scientist from KEMRI's Center for Global Health Research.

Barsosio added that the discovery of a new malaria drug for pregnant women living with HIV could lead to a realignment of maternal and newborn health policies in Africa.

Simon Kariuki, the head of the Malaria Program at the KEMRI's Center for Global Health Research, said the development of a novel drug combined with similar trials underway in Gabon and Mozambique will revitalize malaria prevention in Africa. - Xinhua

The Tanzanian government has stopped the implementation of new rates for the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) following pressure from private hospitals and specialised medical service providers.

In new charges effective January 1, the Fund reduced the payments it would cover for medical consultation and treatment, forcing the private health sector operators to protest, threatening to withhold services from NHIF cardholders.

The Fund issued a directive with the new rates on December 18, saying it aimed to reflect market prices.

However, the Association of Private Health Facilities in Tanzania (APHFTA) said the revised fees would cause huge losses, citing the high costs of running their facilities.

Health minister Ummy Mwalimu Thursday held a day-long meeting with the stakeholders, following which she announced the suspension of the rates.

About 20 million people in Tanzania are registered with the NHIF scheme, most of them being government employees.

Ms Mwalimu said she would establish an independent commission to review the rates of the NHIF medical services package.

Under the new package, the costs covered for blood filtration (haemodialysis) dropped from Tsh240,000 ($95) to Tsh200,000 ($79) per patient.

Hernia surgery was reduced from Tsh150,000 ($60) to Tsh110,000 ($43. Consultation fees for specialist doctors were down from Tsh35,000 ($13) to Tsh25,000 ($10), while that for regular doctors had been reduced from Tsh10,000 ($4) to Tsh5,000 ($2).

NHIF revised rates followed the assertion into law of the Universal Health Insurance Bill, approved by Parliament on November 1, 2023, and signed into law by President Samia Suluhu Hassan on December 4.

Some 374 medicines had been added to the NHIF package. - APOLINARI TAIRO, The EastAfrican

Kenya's Health Minister Susan Nakhumicha announced the suspension of operations at 27 hospitals nationwide Friday following a multimillion-dollar loss attributed to fraudulent activities affecting the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF).

Nakhumicha said the decision follows the exposure of a substantial loss of 20 billion Kenyan shillings ($126.7 million) during an investigation.

"The widespread nature of these alleged fraudulent cases is deeply concerning, the list of implicated facilities includes instances of induced demand, particularly targeting vulnerable citizens, notably older individuals," she said.

Nakhumicha disclosed that an extensive investigation into the fraud uncovered the misappropriation of funds between January and December 2023.

Out of 67 audited hospitals, 27 were found to be engaged in various fraudulent activities, compromising the integrity of the NHIF.

"Fictitious records, manufactured claims, and deceptive practices, such as falsely indicating members undergoing major surgeries while actively at work, have all contributed to defrauding the fund," said the Health Ministry.

The malpractice ranged from inducing sickness to activating dormant NHIF accounts of members to finance medically unwarranted treatments.

Nakhumicha expressed deep concern about the deceptive tactics employed by some hospitals, including the creation of fictitious records and the submission of manufactured claims. - Andrew Wasike, Anadolu Agency