Why South Africa

A place of choice for your treatment

FIVE GOOD REASONS

Traveling abroad to receive medical treatment is not a decision one should take lightly. If you are considering this, here are five good reasons why South Africa should be your preferred choice.

ADVANCED MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY & EXPERTISE

The South African healthcare system is divided into a public and a private scheme.  Whist the public sector competes with its own peers of the developing countries, the private sector – which hosts international patients – competes with well developed countries.  South Africa’s private healthcare system is one of the top healthcare system in the world. A Monitor Group study ranked South Africa in the top 10, after Australia and Switzerland and ahead of France, the UK and Germany. This ranking takes into account both health infrastructure and capabilities. Some of the well-known achievements of the country include the world’s first successful human-to-human heart transplant by Dr Christiaan Barnard in 1967.

AFFORDABLE CARE

South Africa offers highly affordable medical treatment in comparison to destinations such as Western Europe (France, UK, Germany, Italy) or the US. A procedure carried out here commonly costs 30 to 70 % less, for comparable clinical facilities.

The gap reads better as a proportion than as an amount: in vitro fertilisation, a procedure that assists women to conceive, comes to roughly a third of the American price; cosmetic surgery to a quarter or a third of its British equivalent. These ratios hold steady over time; the prices themselves do not.

We publish no price list, and that is deliberate: two cases that look alike on paper rarely produce the same quote. Length of stay, preliminary tests and the choice of practitioner all change the total. Send us your medical report and we will come back with a costed estimate, negotiated with our partner institutions.

LOW WAITING PERIOD

It is common knowledge that patients in Western Europe and the US often have to endure long waiting periods before receiving the medical attention they need. In England, the public waiting list exceeds seven million cases, and nearly four patients in ten are not treated within the official eighteen-week standard. The median wait before treatment begins has climbed from seven to twelve weeks since 2019. Fortunately this is not the case in the South African private system, you will benefit from the speedy response to medical care. A good Medical Travel Facilitation Company – like BanaHealth – can obtain appointments with renowned specialists in a very short amount of time.

EASE OF GETTING A VISA

The number of medical tourists coming to South Africa has increased significantly. The immigration legislation has recognized the need to cater for such cases. Therefore, many nationalities are exempt from the visa requirement altogether. For those who do require a visa, there are only a few non-complex requirements to fulfil in order to obtain your medical treatment visa. Your Medical Travel Facilitation Company should provide you with the required documentation.

MEDICAL & TOURISTIC DESTINATION

After receiving your medical treatment or undergoing surgery, you can take advantage of the wonderful touristic attractions that South Africa has to offer. Enjoy some pampering at a relaxing spa, go shopping at Africa’s largest malls, go on a safari at a game reserve or unlock the mystery of the country of Nelson Mandela by visiting iconic places like Soweto, the Apartheid museum, etc. South Africa has much to offer to its medical tourists as they recuperate.