Deputy President Paul Mashatile confirmed on Thursday that the Department of Health has allocated and spent over R5 billion toward the expansion of 24-hour health services across South Africa, addressing long-standing gaps in after-hours medical care. Speaking during a parliamentary briefing on the government’s health turnaround strategy, Mashatile said the investment has already led to the upgrade and reopening of dozens of community clinics that previously operated only during standard daytime hours.
“Too many South Africans were forced to travel long distances at night just to reach an emergency room,” Mashatile told lawmakers. “This R5 billion is not just about brick and mortar. It is about saving lives when the sun goes down.”
The funds, drawn from the National Health Insurance (NHI) indirect grant and provincial health budgets, have been used to recruit additional nurses, doctors, and security personnel; install backup generators and solar systems; and ensure that pharmacies attached to 24-hour facilities remain operational overnight. Priority was given to rural districts and peri-urban townships where transport costs and long distances have historically discouraged patients from seeking late-night care for conditions like labor complications, childhood fevers, and cardiac events.
Opposition parties, however, questioned whether the funds were spent efficiently, pointing to ongoing staff shortages and reports of clinics closing early due to lack of personnel. Mashatile acknowledged that challenges remain but insisted that the 24-hour rollout has already reached over 250 facilities nationwide. “We are not claiming perfection,” he said. “But a mother giving birth at 2 a.m. in a rural village now has a better chance than she did two years ago. That is progress.”
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