Healthcare in South Africa

In South Africa, private and public health systems exist in parallel. The public system serves the vast majority of the population. Authority and service delivery are divided between the national Department of Health, provincial health departments, and municipal health departments.

In 2017, South Africa spent 8.1% of GDP on health care, or US$499.2 per capita. Of that, approximately 42% was government expenditure. About 79% of doctors work in the private sector.

For the 2024/2025 fiscal year, the South African Government allocated R277 billion for health spending in its annual budget. It also announced its intent to increase healthcare spending to R329 billion by the 2027/28 fiscal year.

As of January 2026, major private healthcare companies in South Africa include Mediclinic Group (134 locations), Netcare (124 locations), Life Healthcare Group (63 locations), Lenmed (19 locations), Clinix Health Group (8 locations), and Melomed (6 locations).

Major private pathology (medical laboratory) companies in South Africa include Ampath, PathCare, and Lancet.

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