PREPARING SOUTH AFRICA'S HEALTHCARE WORKFORCE FOR A DIGITAL FUTURE (October 2026)
Technology is fundamentally reshaping healthcare, accelerating the shift towards digital innovation, patient-centred care and increasingly complex medical systems. Countries that fail to recognise and respond to this transformation risk falling behind. As healthcare evolves, tertiary education providers face growing pressure to equip future professionals with the skills needed to remain competitive.
Healthcare is changing through digital technologies, new models of care and shifting population needs. Artificial intelligence (AI), telehealth and electronic health records are changing how information is gathered and care is delivered. At the same time, South Africa faces persistent infectious diseases, rising non-communicable diseases, unequal access to services and pressure on the health workforce.
Raeesa Khan, Academic Programme Leader at the MANCOSA School of Healthcare, says that the divide between public and private healthcare is part of this context. "In 2024, about 84% of South Africans relied on public health facilities, while around 16% were covered by medical schemes that enable access to private healthcare." As a result, key priorities must govern the future of healthcare development in South Africa and must be incorporated into the NHI.
