| South African Military Health Service | |
|---|---|
| Afrikaans:Suid-Afrikaanse Militêre Gesondheidsdiens | |
 Emblem of SAMHS | |
| Active | 1979 – 1994 (asSAMS of theSADF) 1994 – present (asSAMHS of theSANDF) |
| Country |  South Africa |
| Type | Military Health Service |
| Size |
|
| Part of | Department of Defence |
| -Headquarter | Pretoria,Gauteng |
| Nickname | Medics |
| Mottos | The official SAMHS motto is “Audaces Servamus”, which translates from Latin as “We Serve the Brave”-a tribute to their mission of supporting those on the frontlines. |
| Colors | Maroon |
| Anniversaries | 1995 - 2025 {birth 2026} consilidatory division - 92023 |
| Commanders | |
| Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs | Ms AngieMotshekga |
| Surgeon General | Lieutenant General Ntshavheni Peter Maphaha |
| Insignia | |
| SAMHS Emblem (Badge): The emblem prominently features the Rod of Aesculapius (a staff with a single serpent entwined), a universally recognized symbol of medicine, representing healing and medical care. |  |
TheSouth African Military Health Service (SAMHS) operates within the broader framework of theSouth African National Defence Force (SANDF) and plays a key role in supportingnational security, humanitarian relief andpublic health capacity in South Africa.
South Africa faces a variety ofsecurity and health challenges including:
·Regional instability and peacekeeping commitments in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and African Union (AU) regions.
·Domestic humanitarian crises such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks and public health emergencies.
·High burden of communicable diseases which impact both military readiness and the health of the broader population.
Given these challenges, SAMHS operates at the intersection ofdefence,public health anddisaster response, supporting bothmilitary operations andnational development goals.
Role within the National Defence Framework
As thefourth Arm of Service within the SANDF (alongside the Army, Air Force and Navy), SAMHS is tasked with providingcomprehensive healthcare support to:
· All activeSANDF members (land, sea, air and Special Forces).
·Military dependents and families as authorised.
·Veterans in collaboration with other government departments.
· Members of othergovernment security departments includingSAPS andCorrectional Services on an as-required basis.
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The predecessor of the SAMHS, theSouth African Medical Service, was established as a full service branch of theSouth African Defence Force (SADF) on 1 July 1979 in order to consolidate and strengthen the medical services of theSouth African Army,South African Navy andSouth African Air Force.
Following the end of theBorder War, in the early 1990s, it implemented several retrenchment measures. It consolidated allquartermaster stores in theCape Town andBloemfontein areas, relocated its training center fromPotchefstroom toPretoria, closed several medical supply depots, consolidated computer centers and systems, rationalized procedures for procuring medicine and medical equipment, discontinued survival training, and reduced or closed sickbays and military medical clinics that served other armed services affected by retrenchments.
The SAMS was incorporated into theSouth African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, and was renamed the South African Military Health Service on 1 June 1998.
The SAMHS includes active duty military personnel and civilian employees of the Department of Defence. In addition, the service employs roughly 400 medical doctors and private medical specialists are sometimes appointed to supplement the staff of the SAMHS.
The Surgeon General heads the SAMHS and has the rank ofLieutenant-General. The SAMHS operates three MilitaryHospitals; one inPretoria, one inCape Town and one inBloemfontein. There are also four specialized institutes - the Institute for Aviation Medicine, the Institute for Maritime Medicine, the Military Veterinary Institute and the Military Psychological Institute. Together, these units provide comprehensive medical care for military personnel and their dependents, as well as the police and employees of other security-related government departments, and occasionally to neighboring countries. The SAMHS also provides extensive veterinary services for animals (mainly horses and dogs) used by the security and correctional services. The Institute for Aviation Medicine and the Institute for Maritime Medicine screen pilot candidates for the air force and for civilian aviation certification, as well as divers and submariners for the navy. The military's medical services also include general medical and dental care, and specialized rehabilitation services.
The SAMHS is organized into regional medical commands, corresponding to the army's regional commands, as well as a Medical Logistics Command and a Medical Training Command. The regional commands support military units, military base hospitals, and military unit sickbays in their region. The Medical Logistics Command is responsible formedical logistics only, as each service provides for its own logistics support. In addition, the Medical Training Command supervises the South African Medical Service College, the South African Military Health Service Nursing College, and the South African Military Health Service Training Centre, as well as the military hospitals' training programs. The nursing college, in Pretoria, grants a four-year nursing diploma in association with theUniversity of South Africa. Specialized, in-service training courses for nurses and for nursing assistants are also available.
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South AfricanMilitary Health Service[2] |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||
| General | Lieutenant general | Major general | Brigadier general | Colonel | Lieutenant colonel | Major | Captain | Lieutenant | Second lieutenant | |||||||||||||||
| Rank group | Senior NCOs | Junior NCOs | Enlisted | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South African Military Health Service[2] |  |  |  |  |  |  | No insignia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Warrant officer class 1 | Warrant officer class 2 | Staff sergeant | Sergeant | Corporal | Lance corporal | Private (or equivalent) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Proficiency insignia of the South African Military Health Service | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Doctor | Dentist | Nurse | Ops Medic |
 |  |  |  |
| Pharmacist | Psychologist | Veterinarian | Social Work Officer |
 |  |  |  |
| Health Inspector | Ancillary Health | Farrier | Administrative |
 |  |  |  |
| From | Surgeons General | To |
| 27 April 1994 | Lt GenDaniel KnobelSSAS SD SOE SM MMM KStJ MBC HB PHD | 30 November 1997 |
| 1 December 1997 | Lt GenDavidson MasukuSSAS MMM KStJ | 30 September 2000 |
| 1 October 2000 | Lt GenJurinus Janse van RensburgSD SM MMM KStJ | 31 July 2005 |
| 1 August 2005 | Lt GenVejaynand RamlakanDMG MMS MMB KStJ | 31 March 2013 |
| 1 April 2013 | Lt GenAubrey SedibeDMG MMS MMM KStJ | 31 October 2019 |
| 1 November 2019 | Lt GenZola DabulaOStJ | 31 October 2021 |
| 1 November 2021 | Lt Gen Ntshavheni Peter Maphahapsc(j) enspOStJ | Incumbent |
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. Country Studies.Federal Research Division.
Surgeons General of theSouth African Military Health Service | ||
|---|---|---|
| Surgeons General of theSouth African Medical Service Pre–1994 | .svg)  | |
| Surgeons General of theSouth African Military Health Service Post–1994 | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
