The Health Department has defended its R15.5bn AIDS drug tender against a legal challenge from pharmaceutical manufacturer Cipla. The department argues that officials followed a fair and rational process when awarding contracts to supply key HIV medicines. The dispute centres on contracts that took effect on 1 December 2025. They cover the daily treatment used by most HIV patients. Cipla,…
Category: Archive
Every Health Matters article, newest first. Use the search or browse by month to find older reporting.
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Health Insurance Growth Reshapes Private Healthcare Market
Health insurance is now the fastest-growing segment of South Africa’s private healthcare market, driven by consumers seeking more affordable options than traditional medical aid. Momentum Health estimates the health insurance market is growing by 14% to 16% annually, significantly outpacing the largely stagnant medical scheme sector. Over 1.2 million principal members now hold health insurance policies, covering nearly 2 million…
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Workplace Burnout Increases Business Risk
South African employees face growing financial and psychological pressure, with experts warning that this strain is increasingly affecting the workplace. Rising living costs, stagnant salaries, job insecurity, and longer working hours are creating what specialists call an economic stress-to-burnout pipeline. Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report indicates that about 35% to 40% of South African employees experience daily…
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Black-Owned Pharmaceutical Companies Demand Tender Reform
The Black Pharmaceutical Industry Association (BPIA) has now joined the increasing criticism directed at the Department of Health. The advocacy group comprises more than 22 black-owned businesses, including manufacturers, wholesalers, and pharmacies. This highlights the important and growing role that Black-owned pharmaceutical companies play in the healthcare sector. It cautions that local suppliers are being severely restricted due to the…
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African Health System Resilience Drives Government-Led Reform
The shrinking of international donor funding is causing significant changes in African healthcare. Nigeria and Mozambique demonstrate that it is possible to safeguard healthcare provision when external financing decreases. They do this through greater government involvement, integrated services, and more effective use of existing resources. For many years, numerous health programmes depended on donor-funded projects focused on specific diseases. Such…
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Calls for Drug Company Nationalisation After Adcock Job Cuts
Calls for drug company nationalisation have been made by the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (Giwusa). These calls follow plans by Adcock Ingram to retrench more than 240 workers. Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei said South Africa’s pharmaceutical sector had lost about 2,500 direct jobs over the past 18 months. He noted that nine local manufacturing plants closed during…
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South Africa’s Dietary Guidelines Need Urgent Update
According to the Physicians Association for Nutrition (PAN) South Africa, the country’s dietary guidelines should be updated to reflect advances in nutrition science, the rise in lifestyle diseases and the environmental impact of food systems. The country’s current guidelines have remained unchanged since 2012. In a new policy brief, PAN proposes strengthening the existing framework rather than replacing it. Recommendations…
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Local Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Row Deepens
The Department of Health defended its medicine procurement policies after an industry body blamed government tender practices for thousands of job losses. These job losses occurred among South African pharmaceutical manufacturers. The dispute highlights increasing tension between government efforts to support local pharmaceutical manufacturing and the need to secure affordable medicines. However, the Department of Health also needs to secure…
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Netcare AI Deterioration Algorithm Submitted To SAHPRA
Netcare has submitted its AI-powered patient deterioration algorithm to the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) for regulatory approval. The submission follows the completion of a clinical study conducted in Netcare’s intensive care and high-care units. The technology identifies early warning signs of serious clinical deterioration, allowing healthcare teams more time to intervene before a patient’s condition becomes critical.…
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Cancer Heat Therapy: R57m Public Health Rollout
A R57 million funding drive could determine whether a South African cancer treatment is adopted in the public healthcare system. Cancer heat therapy has been shown to improve survival and reduce long-term costs. Dr Carrie Minnaar, a South African researcher specialising in oncologic hyperthermia, is leading plans to install six modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) devices at three public hospitals over the…