The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has written to Treasury director-general Duncan Pieterse, demanding “urgent clarity” on the government’s plans to phase out medical scheme tax credits. These credits serve as a financing mechanism for the National Health Insurance (NHI), a controversial initiative. In light of this, BHF seeks clarity on how these changes will impact the healthcare funding landscape.…
Category: October 2025
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Dis-Chem’s Strategy Towards Healthcare Integration
Dis-Chem CEO Rui Morais has declared that the pharmacy group’s ongoing transformation is no longer just about Dis-Chem’s strategy or market share, but about its people. While rivals in the consolidating South African pharmacy market bet on scale and diversification, Morais, who took the helm in 2023, believes the company’s most considerable success lies in fundamentally reshaping its internal culture.…
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NHI Legal Challenge: A Constitutional Crisis Ahead
Since President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Act into law in May 2024, a legal storm has erupted. At least eight different groups have filed court applications to challenge the Act, with many arguing it is unconstitutional. A core argument uniting these legal challenges is that the NHI, rather than expanding healthcare, will lead to fewer…
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Medical Aid Contribution Increases Squeeze Household Budgets
South African households are bracing for another year of financial pressure as major medical schemes begin announcing their contribution increases and benefit changes for 2026. In a familiar and unwelcome trend, the announced premium hikes are set to outpace the country’s general inflation rate significantly. This will deepen the long-standing healthcare affordability crisis. While the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS)…
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South Africa’s TB Crisis Claims Over 500,000 Lives in Nine Years
More than half a million people in South Africa died from tuberculosis (TB) between 2015 and 2023. This is a staggering toll for a disease that has been treatable for decades. Delivering the state of TB in South Africa before Parliament, Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi confirmed the country continues to lose thousands of lives each year. This occurs despite…
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New NHI Taxes Timeline Suggests Delay Until 2033
The government may not need to introduce new taxes to finance the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme for another decade. This is according to a presentation by the Department of Health to Parliament. The department’s deputy director-general for NHI, Nicholas Crisp, sketched a 15-year phased funding model. This suggests that new tax levies would only commence around 2033/34. New NHI…
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Climate Change Extends Malaria Season and Triples Heat Deaths
A stark new report from The Lancet medical journal highlights the escalating, often “underappreciated” toll that climate change is taking on human health in South Africa. The latest Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change finds that a warming planet is not only lengthening the malaria season but also driving a sharp increase in heat-related fatalities and economic losses. The…
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TB Epidemic Challenges and Local Manufacturing Needs
The South African National AIDS Council (SANAC) has issued an urgent call for the establishment of secure medical supply chains and the enhancement of local manufacturing capacity. They warn that medicine stockouts and diagnostic delays are costing lives and undermining efforts to end the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic. This critical demand was made during the official relaunch of the South African…
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Aspen Targets Mounjaro Expansion in Africa Following Approval
Aspen targeting Mounjaro expansion will bring the high-demand drug Mounjaro to Sub-Saharan Africa. Mounjaro is also known as tirzepatide. Launches across the continent are anticipated in 2026. CEO Stephen Saad confirmed this plan. He announced it in his annual letter to shareholders. The move follows major success in South Africa. It also comes after a new regulatory approval. This approval…
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Health Innovation Award for Uhu Health’s Achievements
Global Health and Pharma (GHP) has named Johannesburg-based innovator Uhu Health the “Health Consumer Advocacy Innovator of the Year 2025,” a significant recognition of South Africa’s growing influence in digital healthcare. This health innovation award highlights the groundbreaking work innovators are doing in the region. The international award, now in its 10th year, honours companies that demonstrate exceptional resilience, leadership,…
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Adcock Ingram Delisting After Natco Acquisition
Pharmaceutical giant Adcock Ingram has confirmed its delisting from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) on 11 November 2025. The move marks the end of its 17-year run as a public company. This follows the finalisation of a R4.2 billion acquisition scheme by the Indian-based Natco Pharma. The company announced that it had fulfilled or waived all conditions precedent for the…