Netcare patient volumes increased in the 2026 financial year, helping the private hospital group remain on track to meet its full-year guidance. Total paid patient days (PPD) rose by about 1.6% for the year ended September, while acute PPD increased by approximately 0.8%. However, medical scheme measures to strengthen solvency constrained activity in the acute hospital portfolio. These measures included…
Category: Archive
Every Health Matters article, newest first. Use the search or browse by month to find older reporting.
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Medical Aid Contributions: 3.8% Target Won’t Fix Affordability
A 3.8% guideline for 2027 medical aid contributions will not make private healthcare more affordable, the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) says. Instead, managing director Dr Katlego Mothudi says structural reforms are needed to tackle rising hospital and specialist costs and higher utilisation. Unexplained component in the 2027 guideline Speaking in a broadcast interview, Mothudi said the main problem lies…
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Causes of Death in South Africa: Diabetes Leads for Third Year
Diabetes mellitus topped the causes of death in South Africa for a third consecutive year in 2024, according to Statistics South Africa (Stats SA). It accounted for 6.1% of deaths, while hypertensive diseases followed at 5.5%. The findings come from Stats SA’s latest report, “Mortality and causes of death in South Africa: findings from death notification”. It draws on civil…
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Ageing with HIV Puts New Pressure on the Health System
South Africa’s treatment success means ageing with HIV is now a major health system challenge. By 2040, more than half of people living with HIV in the country will be 50 or older, up from 30% in 2025, according to a recent Lancet report. That is 3.9 million people, up from 2.3 million. South Africa has the world’s largest HIV…
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Buy Now Pay Later Comes to Weight-Loss Drugs in South Africa
Buy now, pay later (BNPL) credit can now be used to pay for weight-loss medicines. This comes as a new doctor-led programme tries to make sought-after GLP-1 drugs more affordable. Obiflex offers virtual consultations with doctors who can prescribe the medicines. Furthermore, it lets patients spread their monthly treatment cost over instalments. How the buy now, pay later offer works…
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Cardiovascular Disease Kills 225 South Africans a Day — Most Before 65
Cardiovascular disease claims about 225 South Africans every day through heart attacks and strokes, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation South Africa. Together, the two account for almost one in six deaths. More than half strike before age 65 – often felling breadwinners, parents and caregivers in midlife. This World Heart Day, on 29 September, researchers point to one…
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Immunisation Strategy Targets Africa’s Stalling Vaccine Coverage
Africa CDC’s new Continental Immunisation Strategy 2026-2030 aims to revive vaccine coverage as outbreaks rise and funding tightens. According to immunisation experts who helped develop it, coverage is failing to keep pace with population growth. In 2025, about 7.1 million African children (15.6% of those under a year old) missed even a single routine dose. Immunisation Gains in Africa are…
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Workplace Wellness Programmes Turn to Wearables
A workplace wellness programme using wearable health data can reveal hidden heart risks among staff, according to an analysis published for Heart Awareness Month. The piece argues that South African employers should look beyond annual wellness days. Instead, they should ask what they actually know about their workforce’s health. From Sick Leave Data to Health Signals The analysis uses an…
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NHI Advertising Contract Claims Referred to Investigators
The Health Department has referred inflated NHI advertising contract claims to the SIU, AGSA and Public Protector, rejecting them as misleading. The Health Department has referred allegations of inflated NHI advertising contracts to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) and the Public Protector, insisting that independent investigators test claims of diverted funds. The department rejects the…
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UN Renews Pandemic Preparedness Push Five Years After Covid
World leaders gathered at the United Nations to renew their commitment to pandemic preparedness at the weekend. This came five years after Covid-19 exposed deep weaknesses in health systems, surveillance and global co-operation. The high-level meeting on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response took place at UN headquarters in New York. Countries were expected to reaffirm political commitments to strengthening the…
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Pharmaceutical Policy Must Balance Price With Supply
South Africa’s pharmaceutical policy must protect patients through affordable medicines. Still, it cannot pursue the lowest possible price at the cost of the local industry that keeps those medicines flowing, an industry expert argues. Writing from years in the sector and doctoral research on generic pricing, the author poses a harder question. What happens when the drive for cheap medicines…
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Weak TB Testing Holds SA Back From Its 2030 Targets
South Africa has made real progress against tuberculosis (TB). However, it will fall well short of its 2030 targets. Low TB testing rates are the single biggest reason, according to new modelling published in the journal Global Health Action. The study projects TB incidence falling 46% by 2030 from a 2015 baseline. This falls short of the World Health Organisation…