New health minister for South Africa:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
South Africa's new president, Thabo Mbeki, has appointed Dr Mantombazana Edmie Tshabalala-Msimang as health minister, replacing Dr Nkosazana Zuma, who has been given the foreign affairs portfolio. Dr Tshabalala-Msimang, who was deputy minister of justice from 1996, has a background in healthcare. A qualified doctor, she has a master's degree in public health and has held various healthcare positions, including co-ordinator of the African National Congress health plan. Dr Zuma leaves behind a range of controversial health issues to be resolved, including the uncertainty over South Africa's regulatory agency act, which was published prematurely in error at the end of April (see Clinica No 862, p 6).