Healthcare news and intelligence for Southern Africa

Daily reporting for the pharmaceutical, medical scheme and hospital sectors, published by Health Matters since 1994.

8 October 2026

Cancer in South Africa is rising, with deaths forecast to nearly double by 2050. Learn what ageing, smoking and urbanisation mean for care.

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18 September 2026

GLP-1 medicines alone can't solve SA's diabetes crisis, experts warn, urging earlier screening, coordinated care and better food access.

18 September 2026

Aspen's turnaround hinges on filling its underused sterile manufacturing plants, as GLP-1 sales drive a share recovery.

15 September 2026

The US healthcare affordability crisis is squeezing small employers the hardest, a mirror for local medical scheme debates.

14 September 2026

Dr Thembisile Xulu is the new health Director-General, inheriting a strained department, healthcare-worker shortages and NHI litigation.

14 September 2026

Gauteng is losing 100 nurses a month and needs R5.7bn to fill a 16,000-post gap. This shortage now flagged as a key risk to the NHI rollout.

13 September 2026

Regulation, not demand, blocks affordable cover: medical schemes should be allowed to offer low-cost benefit options (LCBOs) now.

12 September 2026

Illicit trade in medicines and cosmetics tops R6.6bn a year in South Africa, exposing consumers to counterfeit products, a new report warns.

11 September 2026

A court has upheld restrictions on compounded semaglutide at iDexis while regulatory investigations continue.

10 September 2026

WHO Africa director Mohamed Janabi urged governments to finance primary healthcare and pursue health sovereignty.

10 September 2026

Unpaid specialist training is growing in South Africa as scarce funded posts leave doctors working without salaries.

10 September 2026

Discovery earnings growth accelerated as stronger cash generation, Discovery Bank and Vitality Health lifted performance.

10 September 2026

Childhood vaccination coverage estimates face scrutiny as Stats SA defends its population data and health experts question the figures.

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