Medical Tourism to South Africa

South Africa is among the most geographically varied nations in Africa, comprising of land that ranges from the Kalahari Desert to the Drakensberg Mountains, the huge savanna of the Eastern Transvaal to the rolling lush plains of the Highveld.

While all these regions offer endless opportunities for adventure travel, South Africa focuses mainly on medical tourism travel. In fact, it is among the fastest-developing sectors in South Africa, and Cape Town has grown to become one of the best medical tourism destinations. Actually, Cape Town is the leading medical destination for travelers on the African continent.

South Africa’s Health Care Systems

In South Africa, health care system varies from the basic primary health care, provided free by the government, to highly specialized, high-technology health services available in both private and public sector.

There are more than four hundred public hospital and over two hundred private hospitals. The larger regional hospitals are administered by the provincial health departments. Primary care clinics and smaller hospitals are administered at district level.

The public sector is under-resourced and stretched in some areas. While the government contributes about 40 percent of all expenditure or costs on health, the public sector is always under pressure to provide services to about 80 percent of the citizens.

The private sector is run mainly on commercial lines and provides to foreigners, middle and high income earners who are generally members of medical schemes. In addition, it attracts most of the nation’s health professionals. Some of the major hospitals for medical tourism include Life Healthcare Hospital Group, Netcare Group, and Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital.

At the moment, accreditation is totally voluntary in South Africa and there is no Joint Commission International accredited hospital. However, the Council for Health Services Accreditation of Southern Africa is the main local accreditation firm.

Common Treatments Done By Medical Tourist in South Africa

The most popular treatments done by medical tourists visiting South Africa are different types of plastic surgery procedures. Breast augmentation, liposuction, nose reshaping, facelifts and tummy tucks are among the most popular cosmetic surgical procedures done. Other common treatment areas include:

• Dentistry
• Obesity surgery
• Heart surgery
• Orthopedic surgery
• Organ transplantation

Cost of Medical Treatment in South Africa

Although it might not be the cheapest nation for healthcare or medical tourism in the world, depending on the type of treatment, medical travelers are guaranteed to save up to 70 percent on their treatment. [source]

Price Comparison (USD)
Procedure	USA	South Africa	Range of Saving (%)
Angioplasty	57,000	14,200 - 14,800	Between 74 -75
Breast augmentation	10,000	7,000	Up to 30
Facelift	15,000	6,000 – 6,500	Between 57- 60
Heart bypass	144,000	50,000	Up to 65
Heart valve replacement	170,000	40,000	Up to 76
Hip replacement	50,000	20,000	Up to 60
Knee replacement	50,000	25,000	Up to 50
Rhinoplasty	8,000	5,200 - 5,800	Up to 28 - 35
Spinal fusion	100,000	8,000 – 8,100	Between 91 - 92
All procedures	604,000	175,400 – 177,200	Between 70 - 71

Malpractice and Liabilities Laws in South Africa

The relationship between hospital or doctor and patient is usually governed by private law – the law of tort and the law of contract. However, public law considerations have become significant with the enactment of the 1996 Constitution as well as national legislation. After all, most South Africans depend on the public sector for their health care.

There are no social insurance systems for adverse medical events or medical malpractice in South Africa. In addition, there are no compensation schemes for criminally based injuries.

Victims who wish to be compensated by private institutions or practitioners have no choice but to sue either in tort or contract in a law court. Most cases are settled outside the justice system.

Pros

Here are the main reasons why many foreigners seek medical treatment in South Africa.

• Affordable Price

  This is one of the main reasons most people visit South Africa for medical treatment. Medical tourists can save up to 60 percent on treatments.

• Personalized Services

  In addition to affordability, many travelers appreciate the greater services found in South Africa’s hospitals. Whereas in the United States many tasks are done by orderlies, in medical tourism, there are a lot of registered nurses who offer personalized services.

• Quality Services

  The main issue that medical tourists grapple with is to accept a reduction in quality in facilities and physicians. It is natural to think that if a service is cheaper, then it is of low quality, but for a professional planned medical tour to South Africa, the results are excellent.

• Tourism

  Medical travel is usually as much about safari as the medicine. For travelers undergoing surgery, there are no better places to recover than bungalows with the best view of the beach while receiving physical therapy.

Cons

These are the reasons for not travelling.

• Culture and language barrier

  Although good English can be anticipated from the hospital staff and doctor, many medical travelers have little or no experience travelling in South Africa and might not understand the local languages. South African’s tend to speak good English, but they are not always accommodating culturally.

• No legal recourse

  The truth is that medical travelers have limited options in case of a problem. Although the price might be low, there might be no compensation either to pay for emotional stress or further treatment.

• Who to contact

  Finding the right travel agent or hospital is usually a stumbling block for patients. For simple procedures such as dental work or checkup, simply calling the hospital a few days before the time and booking the flight is often enough. For first-time travelers or more complicated procedures, a more thorough consultation with the agent or hospital is required.

Travelling to South Africa

With a direct flight, medical travelers can take the following hours to travel to South Africa.

City	Travel time to South Africa (hours)	Visa Requirement
Los Angeles	24.0	Not required
New York	16.5	Not required
Miami	16.5	Not required
Toronto	17.0	Not required
Vancouver	21.0	Not required
London	12.0	Not required
Berlin	13.0	Not required
Melbourne	13.0	Not required
Dubai	8.0	Not required

Entry and Exit in South Africa

Medical tourists require a valid passport to enter South Africa. However, they do not require a Visa (issued at point of entry) if they are visiting for less than ninety days. Some visitors might require a Yellow Fever certificate (Yellow Fever vaccination is required for people passing via the Yellow Fever belt of South America or Africa).

Passport should be valid for at least thirty days after the date of exit from South Africa.

Statistics of South African’s Medical Tourism

Number of medical tourist who visited South Africa, 2003 to 2008 from different countries: [source]

Major Country Sources of Medical Travelers, 2003-2008
	Total Tourists	Total Medical	Medical (%)
North
UK	2,849,029	122,000	4.3
Germany	1,496,133	47,000	3.1
USA	1,451,732	41,000	2.8
Netherlands	718,368	21,000	2.9
Australia	499,416	14,000	2.8
France	677,502	13,000	1.9
Canada	265,699	9,000	3.4
Italy	303,606	7,000	2.3
Sweden	207,693	5,000	2.4
Japan	166,622	2,000	1.2
South
India	239,108	7,000	2.9
China	264,227	6,000	2.2
Brazil	150,188	5,300	3.5
Africa
Africa Air	800,000	38,000	4.8
Africa Land	33,200,000	2,158,000	6.5

Number of medical tourist who visited South Africa, 2006 to 2010 from different regions: [source]

Regional Sources of Medical Travelers to South Africa, 2006-2010
	Total Tourists	Total Medical	Percentage (%)
Europe	6,252,331	215,000	3.4
Asia & Australia	1,169,373	29,000	2.5
Americans	1,867,619	55,300	3.0
Africa & Middle East	34,000,000	2,196,000	6.5
Total	43,289,323	2,495,300	5.8
Global North	8,635,800	281,000	3.3
Global South	34,653,523	2,214,300	6.4