News

News

Discovery announces surge in its financial performance

27 Feb 2026
Discovery’s trading statement covering the six months ending 31 December shows a significant surge in its financial performance. – Business Day (27 Feb 2026)
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Great news for members of medical schemes

26 Feb 2026
After three years of freezing the value of medical scheme tax credits, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced an increased rebate in his Budget Speech, reported BusinessTech (25 Feb 2026).
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NHI Act remains on ice

25 Feb 2026
On 23 February High Court Judge Brenda Neukircher ordered that the Department of Health, the President and several other organisations freeze court action until the Constitutional Court “weighs in on how Parliament handled public partition” regarding the NHI Act. - Business Day. (24 February 2026).
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Medical schemes request Godongwana to keep medical tax

24 Feb 2026
The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) and the Health Funders Association (HFA), representing roughly half of the SA medical scheme market, requested Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to keep medical tax credits in place and increase their value in the upcoming Budget. – Business Day (24 Feb 2026)
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Dis-Chem’s Better Rewards Programme pays off |

23 Feb 2026
Dis-Chem announced a 10.1% increase in group revenue for the past 24 weeks following the launch of its Better Rewards Programme in October last year, reported Business Day (23 Feb 2026) “The previous loyalty model has been replaced with a data-led system that integrates rewards across retail purchases, clinic visits and financial services. Dis-Chem positions this as part of a broader shift beyond traditional pharmacy retail towards an integrated healthcare business model. The aim is to make access to healthcare services cheaper and easier for customers.”
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Include local producers in next tenders, demands Pharmisa

23 Feb 2026
Pharmaceuticals Made in SA (Pharmisa) is demanding that the National Department of Health (NDoH) include domestic producers in the next major medicine tenders. – Business Day (23 Feb 2026)
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GEMS tariff hike sparks union backlash

23 Feb 2026
In a letter delivered to the Board of the Government Employees Medical Scheme’s (GEMS) trade unions in the Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) rejected the scheme’s 9.8% tariff increase. The union also demanded the immediate removal of principal officer Dr Stanley Moloabi and the scheme’s executive leadership as well as a forensic audit into governance, finances, procurement practice, and administrative expenditure. – Times Live (17 Feb 2026) Business Day (23 Feb 2026)
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President decides to put NHI Act implementation on hold

23 Feb 2026
In a letter from the Office of State Attorney (20 Feb 2026) President Cyril Ramaphosa formally announced that no part of NHI Act will be put into operation until the Constitutional Court (ConCourt) has ruled on two challenges focused on public participation. – Business Day 2026
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Removal of medical tax credits on the cards

17 Oct 2025
“With significant legal and logistical uncertainty still surrounding the NHI's implementation, making precipitous changes to the tax system could have unforeseen and damaging consequences for millions of South Africans.” - Business Day(17 October 2025)
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Pharma faces billions in costs due to new tariffs

29 Jul 2025
“The pharmaceutical industry is bracing for a significant financial blow, with analysts forecasting costs of between $13bn and $19bn following the revelation that a new transatlantic trade deal will subject branded medicines to a hefty 15% tariff.” – Reuters (28 July 2025)
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Life Healthcare backs collaboration to tackle healthcare crisis

27 Nov 2024
Life Healthcare CEO Peter Wharton-Hood has backed a call for greater collaboration between the government and private healthcare providers to address South Africa’s pressing healthcare challenges. This follows a proposal by Netcare CEO Richard Friedland, who suggested adding healthcare as the fourth pillar in an existing government-business partnership focused on revitalising the economy.
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Discovery Life claims back to pre-Covid levels

19 Apr 2024
“Discovery Life distributed R10.3bn to its clients, a decrease from the R11bn paid the previous year,” reported Business Day (19April 2024)
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Hundreds of websites found selling fake weight-loss drugs

16 Apr 2024
Reuters reported on 15 April that the cybersecurity company BrandShield has shut down over 250 websites selling counterfeit versions of popular drugs used for weight loss and diabetes treatment within the GLP-1 class.
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RAF bid to appeal judgment on claim requirements

06 Dec 2023
On 5 December 2023 the Pretoria High Court rejected the Road Accident Fund’s (RAF) request to reconsider a previous verdict from November, reported Business Day. “The ruling mandated eliminating the stringent new requirements for filing claims outlined in a 2021 board notice.”
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Covid-19 vaccines: ‘Health Department squandered the opportunity’

07 Sep 2023
“Health activists are right to draw attention to this grossly unfair situation. (Covid-19 vaccine deals) But the far bigger scandal is that the Health Department squandered the opportunity after spending an estimated R14-bn on Covid-19 jabs and belatedly filling its warehouses with enough doses to vaccinate the nation” – Business Day (7 September 2023).
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