SA’s medicine shortage crisis is leaving patients without essential drugs for chronic conditions, with some epilepsy sufferers reportedly turning to veterinarians.
The Health Department has relied on Section 21 medicines, specially authorised for exceptional use, for a decade to address shortages.
Suppliers are owed R24bn by provinces, excluding the financially stable Western Cape, forcing nearly a fifth of available funding towards old debts instead of new supplies. Poor financial controls, global shortages, supplier withdrawals and regulatory challenges compound the crisis. Gauteng and Eastern Cape face particularly severe financial pressures, while accountability remains fragmented between national and provincial authorities. – Medical Brief 8 October 2026)