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File image | Healthcare worker in hospital corridors.
The South African Medical Technology Industry Association (SAMED), has called for urgent and measurable action to resolve the escalating supplier debt crisis within Gauteng’s public health system.
The association says suppliers are owed upwards of R700 million. It added that the prolonged non-payment of invoices is threatening the survival of crucial medical technology businesses and placing the continuity of patient care at severe risk.
Monica Lucas is the vice chairperson of SAMED.
“It is the debt owed to the suppliers around the country, that supply the Gauteng Department of Health with medical technology. That’s anything from a bandage, or a syringe, to an x-ray machine, or an MRI- machine, to an implantable cardiology stent. The combination of issues, it’s a cash flow challenge, it’s a human resources issue, but at the bottom line of it is the issuing of purchase orders and the payment processes, that unfortunately is leaving the Gauteng Department of Health non-compliant with the PFMA.”
The MEC for Health and Wellness, @FaithMazibukoSA, together with the Gauteng Department of Health’s finance and supply chain teams and the CEO of Steve Biko Academic Hospital, are meeting with service providers over delayed invoice payments.
The meeting aims to address historic… pic.twitter.com/85c7dkAJKb
— Gauteng Health (@GautengHealth) May 27, 2026
