Gauteng has recorded measurable improvements in health service delivery during 2025/26, according to the province’s annual account of its work — with increases in emergency medical training, clinic standards and steps towards digitising patient records.
The summary of the 2025/26 Annual Report was set out in an opinion piece by Health MEC Faith Mazibuko, who framed the figures around the province’s Siyabaphilisa outreach programme that takes services directly into communities. The report highlights both system changes and targeted interventions aimed at easing pressure on public facilities.
Training and capacity
Workforce development is one area the department flagged. In emergency medical services, the number of students enrolled in further education and training rose from 79 in 2024/25 to 117 in 2025/26, surpassing the annual target of 90. The department describes these trainees as an investment in frontline responders who will be deployed when residents require urgent care.
Service quality and access
Performance indicators show incremental improvements in patient-facing services. The patient experience score improved slightly from 85% to 86%, while the Ideal Clinic programme — which measures readiness and quality at primary care level — increased from 92% to 94.4%. The province also reports maintaining 40 facilities that provide 24-hour emergency services.
"Government services matter most when they are felt by the people they are made to serve," wrote Faith Mazibuko in the column accompanying the annual report.
Digitisation and information systems
Modernising record-keeping and information flows forms a clear theme. During 2025/26, 15 hospitals digitised paper-based patient files, and three hospitals implemented integrated health information systems. The department framed these steps as improving clinician access to information and supporting more efficient patient care.
Cancer treatment backlog response
The department highlighted efforts to tackle the cancer treatment backlog through additional resources and partnerships with the private sector. As part of that drive, 1,076 patients completed radiation oncology treatment across public and private institutions in the reporting year. The figures were presented as an example of translating policy commitments into tangible care.
At a glance: key metrics from Gauteng Health 2025/26
| Metric | 2024/25 | 2025/26 | Target (where given) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emergency medical care students enrolled | 79 | 117 | 90 |
| Patient experience score | 85% | 86% | — |
| Ideal Clinic performance | 92% | 94.4% | — |
| 24-hour emergency facilities | — | 40 | — |
| Hospitals digitised paper files | — | 15 | — |
| Hospitals with integrated health information systems | — | 3 | — |
| Patients completing radiation oncology treatment | — | 1,076 | — |
What this means for residents
For patients, the most immediate effects should be improved access at primary care clinics and more reliable emergency coverage through the maintained 24-hour facilities. The Ideal Clinic improvements indicate better readiness — for example stock levels, record-keeping and appointment systems — while digitisation at hospitals should reduce time lost to searching for paper files and improve continuity of care across departments.
For people waiting for oncology services, the reported completion of 1,076 radiotherapy courses suggests some of the backlog is being addressed through co-operation between public and private providers. The department positions such co-operation as a pragmatic short-term measure while longer-term capacity is expanded.
Questions that remain
The Annual Report excerpt highlights progress but leaves other queries open in the public interest: how sustainability of private–public arrangements will be ensured, the pace and scale of further digitisation across the remainder of the province’s hospitals, and how the increase in emergency medical students will translate into staffing of ambulances and emergency units on the ground.
- Residents will watch whether improved scores translate into shorter waiting times and better clinical outcomes.
- Stakeholders will want clarity on plans to scale integrated information systems beyond the initial three hospitals.
- Health workers and training institutions will monitor whether the higher enrolment in emergency training is matched by funding for placements and employment.
The 2025/26 figures provide a snapshot of incremental change in Gauteng’s health system. The challenge now is sustaining momentum so that those headline numbers translate into consistent improvements at facility level across the province.
