Gauteng Health ropes in debt collectors to recover R4.6b unpaid fees

[FILE IMAGE]: Hospital beds in a hospital ward.

The Gauteng Health Department says it is taking steps to recover R4.6b in outstanding patient fees. It says a significant portion of R2.4b, is owed by self-paying patients, including foreign nationals.

The department has appointed debt collectors and is targeting traceable debt categories.

Chief Director of Health Economics and Finance at the Gauteng Health Department, Siyabonga Jikwana says they have appointed five debt collectors; these are the ones appointed by the National Treasury.

“Our job is to ensure that we recover as much as possible by all means. We started working with them five months ago, and during this period, they have managed to collect more than R20m, which is a significant improvement in our revenue collection,” adds Jikwana.

MEDIA STATEMENT || GAUTENG HEALTH IMPLEMENTS MEASURES TO RECOVER
OUTSTANDING PATIENT FEES pic.twitter.com/NRLvHyV5li

— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) March 22, 2026