Medshield Medical Scheme is a healthcare fund where all members contribute towards the fund monthly to cater for medical cover should the need arise. Medshield has been in operation since 1968, making us one of the most experienced, knowledgeable, and reliable medical schemes in South Africa. Our extensive experience in the healthcare sector guides our understanding of our members' needs. Our excellent cover and benefits combined with the best quality systems and services have resulted in our exceptional size and strength. For more information, visit medshield.co.za

Medshield Medical Scheme Newsroom

Medshield Medical Scheme is a healthcare fund where all members contribute towards the fund monthly to cater for medical cover should the need...

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English (South Africa)

Medshield Media Team

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Kgotso Chauke

Dennis Matsane

Taonga Chiwala

Willem S Eksteen

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By Dr Wayne Riback, Chief Medical Officer at Medshield Medical Scheme

Partnerships are healthcare’s                  new currency

This time of year is synonymous with medical scheme announcements, as schemes unveil contribution increases and benefit options for the year ahead. It is a key moment in the healthcare calendar, as schemes balance rising costs and evolving member needs with the imperative to keep cover of quality affordable and sustainable.

By Kevin Aron, Principal Officer at Medshield Medical Scheme

Healthcare innovation means little              if people cannot afford it

Simpler healthcare is                                more affordable healthcare

Routine health checks matter more than you think

Often, the idea of going to the doctor only crosses our minds when we're experiencing symptoms of illness. But in reality, the most powerful step you can take for your long-term health is identifying problems before they start. That is where preventative care, and in particular Health Risk Assessments (HRAs), play a crucial role.

By Kevin Aron, Principal Officer, Medshield Medical Scheme

Opinion article: In healthcare, sustainable progress matters more than political promises

South Africa’s healthcare debate is often framed in terms of sweeping reform, bold promises, and long-term structural change. Yet for millions of South Africans, healthcare is not an abstract policy discussion. It is an immediate, practical concern shaped by affordability, access, and reliability.

Kevin Aron, Principal Officer at Medshield Medical Scheme

Workforce sustainability is a healthcare issue, not just an HR problem

Across industries, organisations are under growing strain. Burnout is rising, teams are stretched, and experienced professionals are leaving faster than they can be replaced. What is often framed as a human resources challenge is, in reality, a direct threat to performance and long-term stability.

The missing middle: Healthcare affordability must be engineered, not diluted

South Africa’s healthcare debate often focuses on two distinct but separate sectors: a resource-constrained public sector and a high-cost private system serving a relatively small share of the population. Yet the most pressing pressure point lies between these two extremes.

Healthcare reform must be built on stability, not slogans

JOHANNESBURG - Healthcare policy in South Africa has become emotionally charged. While National Health Insurance (NHI) is often presented as an inevitable endpoint, medical schemes are portrayed as temporary structures awaiting replacement. The 2026 Healthcare Budget tells a more sober story. What stood out to me was not dramatic reform, but restraint. There is no new NHI tax. The government kept medical tax credits and did not accelerate the implementation timetable. Instead, the focus is on stabilising the fiscus, strengthening public systems, and restoring credibility. In my view, that signals something important: the South African healthcare reality is beginning to anchor the healthcare conversation.

2026 must be about prediction, prevention, equity and innovation

South Africa's healthcare system stands at a crossroads. For too long, we have focused on treating illness once it appears rather than preventing it. The impact is clear: rising chronic disease, mounting pressure on hospitals, and a system pushed beyond its limits. Yet we now have an opportunity we cannot ignore. Advances in technology, data and new care models give us the chance to shift away from reactive "sick care" to a system that gets ahead of problems before they grow, thus predicting and preventing as the way to manage healthcare.

Value-based care: rebuilding South Africa’s healthcare future

Johannesburg - Michael Porter, one of the world's foremost Harvard thinkers on strategy and competitiveness, defined value in healthcare as the health outcomes achieved per unit of cost spent. In other words, actual value is not about how much activity the system produces, but about how well it improves people's health relative to the resources consumed. It is a deceptively simple definition. Yet South Africa's healthcare system continues to operate on a vastly different model: fee-for-service. In this system, providers are paid for the number of consultations, tests, or procedures performed, not for the health outcomes they achieve. The result is a system where incentives are misaligned, costs are spiralling, and patients, the people the system is supposed to serve, often fall through the cracks and do not gain the intended benefits from the healthcare ecosystem. The cracks in the fee-for-service system

What medical schemes mean by “risk stratification” – in simple terms

Johannesburg - Chronic disease is one of the biggest drains on both our health and our wallets. Too often, we treat symptoms instead of causes, thus reacting late, spending more, and achieving poorer outcomes. At Medshield Medical Scheme, we're breaking that cycle by focusing on personalised prevention. Through risk stratification, digital screening, and human coaching, we intervene earlier, support members better, and bend the long-term cost curve in the right direction.

Thought leadership articles

Partnerships are healthcare’s new currency

Healthcare innovation means little if people cannot afford it

Simpler healthcare is more affordable healthcare

Routine health checks matter more than you think

Opinion article: In healthcare, sustainable progress matters more than political promises

Workforce sustainability is a healthcare issue, not just an HR problem

The missing middle: Healthcare affordability must be engineered, not diluted

Healthcare reform must be built on stability, not slogans

Routine health checks matter more than you think

2026 must be about prediction, prevention, equity and innovation

Value-based care: rebuilding South Africa’s healthcare future

What medical schemes mean by “risk stratification” – in simple terms

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Medshield Media Team

Stone on behalf of Medshield Medical Scheme

Kgotso Chauke

Media Consultant, Stone

Dennis Matsane

Senior Consultant, Stone

Taonga Chiwala

Senior Editorial Consultant, Stone

Willem S Eksteen

Chief Executive, Stone

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