SA’s most pressing health issues this year.
In a Bhekesisa article “Here’s what’s on South Africa’s 2026 public health agenda” (14 Jan 2026) Tanya Pampalone shares what experts have to say about some of the most pressing health issues this year.
To name a few:
Obesity and anti-obesity drugs: one third of all South Africans are living with obesity (associated with dozens of non-communicable diseases (NCDs)). The price (R3 000 to R6 000) of drugs (Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy) are out of reach for almost everyone. The drugs (that have to be used lifelong) are not yet available in the public sector. Because weight loss is not included under the conditions medical schemes are legally required to cover, they have to be paid for out of pocket.
‘The NHI will be stuck in court. And might just die there’
Following President Ramaphosa’s signing the NHI Bill Act in 2024 lawsuits started piling up (nine at present).
“The charges are myriad: procedural flaws in the parliamentary process; inadequate public input; an unrealistic tax-based financial structure; disputes about plans for medical schemes; consolidation of control under the Health Minister; consistent failures in service delivery; and the blocking of access to treatment for asylum seekers and undocumented migrants.”
“Tick-box consultations without truly listening won’t serve the NHI. Changing Governance structures may.”
The role of AI
Implementing AI could play a role in diagnosing illnesses, analysing complex datasets and uncovering patterns in research in ways that humans might not even consider.
Tobacco legislation is unlikely to look like the current draft
The industry is pushing back on the e-cigarette marketing ban because they say they need to advertise harm reduction to consumers (despite studies showing that this didn’t matter to users). Documentation on the use of e-cigarette use since 2010 shows that there is a parallel increase in e-cigarette use and in smoking. People who haven’t used nicotine before are increasingly taking up these products for their attractive designs and flavours.
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