Doctors

• Belgian tennis player Alexander Blockx reached the US Open quarter-finals after defeating Francisco Cerundolo in four sets. • Top seed Alexander Zverev also advanced to the quarter-finals by winning his match against Italy's Luciano Darderi in straight sets. • These victories secure spots for both players in the final eight of the tournament.

• Leading U.S. medical groups issued updated guidelines on Wednesday urging the public to receive updated flu and COVID-19 vaccinations this fall. • The initiative aims to clear up public confusion regarding vaccination schedules and the science behind them, specifically addressing inconsistencies in previous administration advice. • The push follows recent FDA approval of this year's updated vaccine versions, coinciding with the seasonal rise of RSV risks.

After Lindsey Graham’s death, Democrat Annie Andrews finds herself in a closely watched race as she seeks to flip his Republican seatAnnie Andrews was a dark horse Democrat challenging a five-term Republican in the US Senate when 314 Action, a political action fund devoted to electing scientists and doctors, first backed her.Now, after the unexpected death of Senator Lindsey Graham, Andrews finds herself in a closely watched race. Donald Trump persuaded South Carolina voters last week to select Graham’s sister, Darline, as the new Republican candidate. They will face off in November in an election still heavily favored to remain in Republican hands in the conservative state. Continue reading...

New guidance by world’s top cardiovascular health groups upgrades types of attacks that primarily affect womenDoctors have agreed the world’s first universal definition of a heart attack, paving the way for millions of women to finally receive better treatment after decades of being “deprioritised”.In one of the biggest procedural shakeups in a generation, the world’s four leading cardiovascular health groups have signed off on new guidance for healthcare professionals when seeing suspected heart attack patients. Continue reading...

• Doctors are distancing themselves from the World Health Organization (WHO) due to an ethics dispute regarding drug trial designs during an Ebola emergency. • The outbreak in eastern DRC since April has infected over 4,587 people and caused 2,130 deaths, including at least 151 healthcare workers by August 1. • The situation is critical because the Bundibugyo species of Ebola is uncommon, and there are currently no approved vaccines or treatments available.

Staff at North Devon district hospital given training in difficult births in case mothers-to-be cannot get to ExeterDoctors at one of England’s remotest hospitals have been given a “crash course” in birth emergencies after its maternity unit was shut and as fears grow that the safety of women and babies may be put at risk.From Tuesday, the maternity service at North Devon district hospital (NDDH) in Barnstaple has been suspended indefinitely owing to staff shortages, leaving many pregnant women facing a journey of at least an hour and a half when they go into labour. Continue reading...

Scheme brought in up to 500 foreign-trained doctors a year and was seen as example of British ‘soft power’The NHS has scrapped a longstanding scheme that let overseas doctors boost their skills in UK hospitals and was seen as an example of British “soft power”.Senior doctors have criticised NHS England’s decision to axe the Medical Training Initiative, under which 400 to 500 foreign-trained doctors were given placements in Britain every year. Continue reading...

• An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has surged to 3,200 confirmed cases and 1,405 deaths, marking the fastest growth rate ever recorded for any Ebola outbreak. • The crisis is exacerbated by a strike of healthcare workers who have walked off the job due to unpaid wages, severely hindering the medical response. • In a critical development, Oxford University has launched trials for the ChAdOx1 viral vector vaccine, the first shot specifically designed to target the Bundibugyo strain.

Research shows AI accounts are gaining millions of views on TikTok by spreading dubious health adviceMisleading health claims online pose a “huge danger to public safety”, experts have warned, after research has shown that AI-generated doctors are gaining millions of views on TikTok by spreading dubious health advice.The British Medical Association council deputy chair, Dr Emma Runswick, flagged the risks posed by AI accounts that “peddle medical myths and promote so-called miracle cures”. Continue reading...

Pete Hegseth announced that soldiers aged 30 and older in the US military will be screened for low testosterone The US defense secretary, ⁠Pete Hegseth, this week ordered annual testosterone-deficiency screening for active-duty and reserve service members aged 30 and older, which he says will help to maintain military readiness.But many medical professionals warn it might do nothing of the sort and instead could increase service members’ risk of infertility or other consequences if testosterone is prescribed inappropriately. Continue reading...

• Activist Sonam Wangchuk entered his 21st consecutive day of an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, July 16, 2026. • The protest is driven by allegations of irregularities and paper leaks surrounding the NEET examinations. • A court has intervened, directing government doctors to provide continuous medical monitoring of Wangchuk to ensure his safety.

For one placement, black applicants had a less than 1 in 100 chance of being offered a place, NHS data showsBlack doctors in England are four times less likely to be offered a training place than their white counterparts, according to analysis.As part of their medical training, doctors across the NHS are able to apply to placements within specific branches of practice such as psychiatry, obstetrics and gynaecology, and emergency medicine. Continue reading...

Analysis of 12 indicators including asthma, obesity and vaccination finds child health is ‘national embarrassment’Children in the UK will grow up to be one of the unhealthiest generations in decades, with child health outcomes having declined or stalled completely across all areas, a group of leading paediatricians has said.Reduced vaccination rates alongside rising hospital admissions for asthma and mental health disorders are all contributing factors to the UK’s record on children’s health, which should be seen as a “national embarrassment”, their analysis has found. Continue reading...

• Health Canada has issued a warning to physicians advising them not to start new patients on the prescription medication TAVNEOS. • The agency is currently reviewing the drug's evidence after concerns were raised regarding the integrity of data from its key clinical trial. • This measure is critical to ensure patient safety and the efficacy of the treatment while the regulatory review is conducted.

Exclusive: With the technology fast becoming popular in GP surgeries, regulators are monitoring its implementation and potential pitfallsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe federal health department has raised concerns about the use of AI scribes by doctors as the health regulator considers the need for safeguards around the technology.AI scribe tools record, transcribe and summarise conversations between doctors and patients for medical notes, and have boomed in popularity in the past 18 months. Continue reading...

• Federal authorities executed the largest healthcare fraud takedown of 2026, charging 455 defendants, including 90 doctors. • The operation targeted $6.5 billion in false claims and uncovered cases involving patient deaths. • This massive enforcement action highlights critical vulnerabilities in healthcare billing and the severe legal consequences of systemic fraud.

Pay will be 35.2% higher on average compared with four years ago after series of strikes that have cost NHS £1bnResident doctors in England have voted to accept a new government deal on pay and jobs, bringing an end to strike action that has cost the NHS £1bn since last summer.It comes after the British Medical Association called off a strike at the last minute earlier this month to put the offer to members. Continue reading...

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency to use International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition for ‘regulatory work’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralia’s health watchdog has adopted a contested definition of antisemitism to guide its regulatory work.The move has been welcomed by the nation’s peak Jewish body while the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network (Apan) has warned it could silence health professionals from criticising Israel’s human rights record. Continue reading...

Last-minute offer to be put to members is understood to include an average 6.6% pay upliftResident doctors in England have called off strike action after the government made a new offer which will be put to members.They were set to stage a four-day walkout from 7am on Monday – the 16th round of strike action since 2023. Continue reading...

Medical Protection Society calls for law to be overhauled to help medics avoid liability for errors made by technologyDoctors and the NHS could be sued for medical negligence over mistakes made by artificial intelligence tools used in diagnosing patients and suggesting their treatment, ministers are being warned.Under the law as it stands, medics and the health service can be held liable for patients being harmed or dying even if it was AI that made the errors that resulted in their suffering. Continue reading...

Durvalumab shows promising results in trial led by London-based Institute of Cancer ResearchDoctors are hailing a drug that spares bladder cancer patients “life-changing” surgery and stops tumours coming back.Bladder cancer is the ninth most common cancer in the world. Advanced or aggressive forms are often treated with surgery to remove the entire bladder, with patients left having to find alternative ways to pass urine for the rest of their life. Continue reading...

BMA blames new health secretary for decision to stage 16th strike in long-running jobs and pay disputeUK politics live – latest updatesResident doctors in England will next month stage the 16th strike in their long-running jobs and pay dispute and blamed the new health secretary for their decision.They will strike for four days from 7am on Monday 15 June until 6.59am on Friday 19 June. Continue reading...

The First Nations woman has been on the priority public housing list in WA since 2023. Despite nearly dying from sleeping rough, she still has a two year wait.Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe family of a homeless First Nations woman who is sick with septicemia fear she will die without a safe home, but advocates warn it could be years before she reaches the top of the public housing waiting list.Andrea Woodley has been in and out of hospital for weeks with sepsis, triggered by infected blisters on her feet after sleeping rough in inner city Perth. The Noongar, Budimaya and Nyikina woman and her loved ones fear that without a home she is at risk of death. Continue reading...

British Medical Association says review into gender identity services was ‘robust’ after previously rejecting findingsThe trade union representing doctors across the UK has dropped its opposition to the findings of the Cass review of gender identity services across the NHS.The British Medical Association (BMA) had previously rejected the findings of the landmark review of transgender healthcare, with the medical body refusing to endorse the report’s findings. Continue reading...

Quashed studies, halted publications and canceled research threaten damage to public health, critics saySign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email A series of high-profile and under-the-radar decisions by US health agencies have scientists and doctors questioning the extent of the agencies’ control over public communications – and they say the debate is obscuring the most important part, which is informing the public about key updates in science and medicine.Studies on the safety of vaccines against shingles and Covid were reportedly quashed before publication by officials at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The news follows the hasty halt on publication of a study on the effectiveness of Covid boosters by the top acting official at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and research terminated or never approved in the first place because of keywords such as “hesitancy” and “misinformation” at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Continue reading...

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) inadvertently exposed Social Security numbers of thousands of doctors through a data breach. • The agency failed to adequately secure sensitive personal information in its systems, raising concerns about federal data protection practices. • The breach has prompted investigations into CMS security protocols and potential regulatory reforms.

Researchers say results mark a ‘profound change in technology that will reshape medicine’From George Clooney in ER to Noah Wyle in The Pitt, emergency department doctors have long been popular heroes. But will it soon be time to hang up the scrubs?A groundbreaking Harvard study has found that AI systems outperformed human doctors in high-pressure emergency medicine triage, diagnosing more accurately in the potentially life and death moments when people are first rushed to hospital. Continue reading...

Deal for resident doctors was in sight when sudden change by ministers forced latest action, says Jack FletcherMinisters killed the chance to end strikes by resident doctors when they suddenly reduced the amount of money they were offering to secure the peace deal, the doctors’ leader claims.Dr Jack Fletcher accused the government of “playing games” and forcing resident doctors to embark on their 15th strike over pay and jobs, which is disrupting the NHS this week. Continue reading...