According to Dr Joe Phaahla, Deputy Minister of Health, the government intends to include traditional health practitioners as it introduces National Health Insurance (NHI). He announced this during his speech at the African Traditional Medicine Commemorative Day in Mpumalanga. The commitment establishes a formal place for traditional medicine within South Africa’s universal health coverage schemes. It aligns the country with…
Tag: health policy
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South Africa’s Population Growth Holds at 1.2%
South Africa’s population grew by an estimated 1.2% in the year to June 2026. This brought the total population to 63.52 million, according to the latest mid-year population estimates from Statistics South Africa. The rate was broadly unchanged from 2025. During that year, the population increased by 1.23% to 63.1 million. South Africa’s population has grown from 42.9 million in…
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Public Health System Shows Signs of Progress
Most South Africans are familiar with the pressures facing public healthcare. These issues are often discussed within the broader context of the Public Health System. Patients often spend hours in clinic waiting rooms. Families struggle to secure treatment for relatives. Hospitals face overcrowding, medicine shortages and administrative failures. These experiences create an understandable impression that the system is collapsing. Service…
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Lenacapavir HIV Prevention Injection: SA Rollout Faces Heat
South Africa’s long-acting HIV prevention programme has entered a new phase. President Cyril Ramaphosa and Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi led an official rollout event in Secunda, Mpumalanga, on 5 June 2026. The twice-yearly injection of lenacapavir prevents HIV infection when used as prescribed. Health officials position the product as a major addition to the country’s prevention toolkit. This is alongside…
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Netcare CEO Transition: Melanie Da Costa Named Successor
Netcare has confirmed a high-profile leadership handover that will reshape the top team at one of South Africa’s biggest private healthcare groups. The JSE-listed company has appointed long-serving executive Melanie Da Costa as its next chief executive officer, with a phased transition that runs through 2026 and into 2027. Da Costa is currently Executive Director for Strategy and Health Policy.…
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Certificate of Need Ruling Forces Health Licensing Rethink
South Africa’s Certificate of Need Ruling has reset the policy debate on where health professionals may practise. On Monday, 18 May 2026, the Constitutional Court confirmed that provisions allowing the state to control where doctors and nurses work are unconstitutional. The court ordered that the provisions be removed from the legislation. The legal challenge was brought by Solidarity, the Alliance…
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Certificate Of Need Ruling: ConCourt Strikes Down DoH Powers
South Africa’s certificate of need ruling has landed a major setback for government plans to direct where health services can operate. The Constitutional Court has declared the “certificate of need” provisions in the National Health Act unconstitutional. The decision ends a long legal fight that has run for more than two decades. The unanimous ruling confirms a 2024 Pretoria High…
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Zimbabwe National Health Strategy Aims to Transform Healthcare
Zimbabwe has taken a significant step towards reshaping its health system, launching a high-level validation workshop for its National Health Strategy 2026-2030. Health Minister Douglas Mombeshora told stakeholders the strategy arrives at a “defining moment” for the country. He urged them to view it not as a policy document, but as an actionable roadmap. Importantly, it is aligned with Zimbabwe’s…
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NHI Act Court Challenge: Fairness of Public Hearings
South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI) legislation faced renewed scrutiny in the Constitutional Court yesterday, with arguments centred on whether Parliament’s public participation process met constitutional standards. Western Cape Premier Alan Winde brought the case, claiming the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) rushed key hearings in Gauteng and the Western Cape, making “meaningful engagement” impossible. The challenge lands at a…
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NHI Funding: Court Hears Claims Of Blind NHI Approval
The National Health Insurance (NHI) programme faced renewed legal pressure yesterday. Constitutional Court justices questioned whether the public had enough information to participate meaningfully in the law-making process. At the centre of the dispute is NHI Funding Transparency. Debate continues over whether Parliament should have provided clearer cost and funding details before passing the bill. The NHI Act aims to…
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NHI Financial Architecture Shapes Medtech Investment
South Africa’s National Health Insurance (NHI) project is being treated as a political fight. Yet, for many healthcare operators and investors, it looks like something else. It looks like a financing build that was announced before the balance sheet was finalised. The Constitutional Court is scheduled to hear major challenges to the NHI Act from 5 to 7 May 2026.…
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Parliament’s NHI Process: ConCourt Tests Public Input On NHI
South Africa’s highest court will this week scrutinise Parliament’s NHI Process in two challenges that could reshape the National Health Insurance (NHI) rollout. The Constitutional Court has set aside three days, from 5 to 7 May 2026, to hear applications brought by the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) and the Western Cape government. The cases do not yet test the…