Healthcare in South Africa

Healthcare System in South Africa

South Africa's health system consists of a large public sector, smaller but escalating private sector. Medical services in the country varies from basic primary health care offered free by the government, to highly specialized, technologically advanced health services available in the private sector for those who can afford to pay on their own.

Unfortunately, the public sector is under-resourced and over-used, while the developing private sector caters to middle- and high-income groups and to the foreigners looking for top-quality surgical procedures at relatively affordable prices. 

Quality of Healthcare in South Africa

South Africa has been a world leader in medicine for long. In 1967, Dr Christiaan Barnard performed the world's first successful heart transplant, which boosted South Africa’s reputation as being a pioneer in medical advances. Since then the country has remained at the forefront of medical innovation and today can boast of significant achievements like successful separation of Siamese twins and the first African-developed HIV vaccine in a third world country to be developed.

To eliminate language barriers, the country has also an added advantage of English being one of the main languages for the medical tourists.