South African Military Health Service

Last updated
South African Military Health Service
SAMHS logo.svg
Emblem of SAMHS
Active1979 1994 (as SAMS of the SADF)
1994 present (as SAMHS of the SANDF)
CountryFlag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
TypeMilitary health service
Size
  • 9,922 [1] (Active)
  • 1,115 (In Reserve)
Part of Department of Defence
Headquarters Pretoria, Gauteng
Motto(s)Audaces Servamus
Commanders
Minister of Defence and Veteran Affairs Thandi Modise
Surgeon General Lieutenant General Ntshavheni Peter Maphaha
Insignia
Ensign
SAMHS flag.svg

The South African Military Health Service is the branch of the South African National Defence Force responsible for medical facilities and the training and deployment of all medical personnel within the force. Though unusual, as most national militaries integrate their medical structures into their existing service branches, the SANDF regards this structure as being the most efficient method of providing care and support to the SANDF's personnel.

Contents

It is a significant actor in the effort to control HIV/AIDS within the SANDF.

History

The predecessor of the SAMHS, the South African Medical Service, was established as a full service branch of the South African Defence Force (SADF) on 1 July 1979 in order to consolidate and strengthen the medical services of the South African Army, South African Navy and South African Air Force.

Rationalisation

Following the end of the Border War, in the early 1990s, it implemented several retrenchment measures. It consolidated all quartermaster stores in the Cape Town and Bloemfontein areas, relocated its training center from Potchefstroom to Pretoria, 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 the South African National Defence Force on 27 April 1994, and was renamed the South African Military Health Service on 1 June 1998.

Organisational structure

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 of Lieutenant-General. The SAMHS operates three Military Hospitals; one in Pretoria, one in Cape Town and one in Bloemfontein. 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 for medical 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 the University of South Africa. Specialized, in-service training courses for nurses and for nursing assistants are also available.

Formations

Mobile Military Health Formation

Tertiary Military Health Formation

Area Military Health Formation

Military Health Training Formation

Military Health Support Formation

General Support Base

Directorates & Services

Ranks and insignia

Officers
Rank groupGeneral/flag officersSenior officersJunior officersOfficer cadet
Flag placeholder.svg South African
Military Health Service

SAMHS-OF-5.svg SAMHS-OF-4.svg SAMHS-OF-3.svg SAMHS-OF-2.svg SAMHS-OF-1b.svg SAMHS-OF-1a.svg
General Lieutenant general Major general Brigadier general Colonel Lieutenant colonel Major Captain Lieutenant 2nd lieutenantCandidate officer
Other
Rank groupSenior NCOsJunior NCOsEnlisted
Flag placeholder.svg South African
Military Health Service

SAA-OR-9.svg SAA-OR-8.svg SAMHS-OR-7.svg SAMHS-OR-6.svg SAMHS-OR-4.svg SAMHS-OR-3.svg No insignia
Warrant Officer Class 1 Warrant Officer Class 2 Staff Sergeant Sergeant Corporal Lance Corporal Private
(or equivalent)

Proficiency Insignia

SAMHS Proficiency Insignia
Proficiency insignia of the South African Military Health Service
Medical DoctorDentistNurseOps Medic
SANDF SAMHS Medical Doctor chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMHS Dentist chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMHS Nurse chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMHS Ops Medic chest insignia.jpg
PharmacistPsychologistVeterinarianSocial Work Officer
SANDF SAMHS Pharmacist chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMHS Psychologist chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMHS Veterinarian chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMHS Welfare Officer chest insignia.jpg
Health InspectorAncillary HealthFarrierAdministrative
SANDF SAMHS Health Inspector chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMS Ancillary Health chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMS Ferrier chest insignia.jpg
SANDF SAMHS Administrative chest insignia.jpg

Leadership

South African Military Health Service Leadership
FromSurgeons GeneralTo
27 April 1994Lt Gen Daniel Knobel SSAS SD SOE SM MMM KStJ MBCHB PHD 30 November 1997
1 December 1997Lt Gen Davidson Masuku SSAS MMM KStJ 30 September 2000
1 October 2000Lt Gen Jurinus Janse van Rensburg SD SM MMM KStJ 31 July 2005
1 August 2005Lt Gen Vejaynand Ramlakan DMG MMS MMB KStJ 31 March 2013
1 April 2013Lt Gen Aubrey Sedibe DMG MMS MMM KStJ 31 October 2019
1 November 2019Lt Gen Zola Dabula OStJ 31 October 2021
1 November 2021Lt Gen Ntshavheni Peter Maphaha psc(j) ensp Incumbent

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Army</span> Branch of the South African National Defence Force

The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. The Army is commanded by the Chief of the Army, who is subordinate to the Chief of the SANDF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Army Infantry Formation</span> Military unit

The South African Army Infantry Formation supervises all infantry within the South African Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Army Engineer Formation</span> Military unit

The South African Army Engineer Formation is the controlling entity of all South African Army military engineering units. The Formation is currently commanded by the General Officer Commanding (GOC); Brigadier General D.W. Nkosi, as of early 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jurinus Janse van Rensburg</span>

Lieutenant General Jurinus (Rinus) Janse van Rensburg, is a former South African military commander. He joined the South African Military Health Service in 1972 and commanded it, as Surgeon-General, from 2000 to 2005. He served as Chief of Corporate Staff from 1 August 2005 until his retirement in 2010.

Lieutenant General Vejaynand Indurjith Ramlakan was a South African military commander. A medical doctor, he served in Umkhonto weSizwe (MK), the military wing of the African National Congress, during the liberation struggle against the South African government in the 1980s, and transferred to the South African National Defence Force when MK was incorporated into it in 1994.

The South African Medical Service (SAMS) was a branch of the South African Defence Force (SADF). In 1994 when the SADF was merged with various other military and armed resistance forces as part of the post-apartheid reforms the SAMS became the South African Military Health Service of the South African National Defence Force. The SAMS operated three hospitals, 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria, 2 Military Hospital in Cape Town, and 3 Military Hospital in Bloemfontein. It also had three specialist institutes; the Institute for Aviation Medicine, the Institute for Maritime Medicine, and the Military Psychological Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military medicine</span> A medical specialty attending to soldiers, sailors and other service members

The term military medicine has a number of potential connotations. It may mean:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7 Medical Battalion Group</span> Military unit

7 Medical Battalion Group is the specialist Airborne Medical Unit of the South African Military Health Service. The Battalion's main task is to render medical support to the South African Airborne and Special Forces. The unit falls under the command of the Mobile Military Health Formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operational Medical Orderly</span> Military unit

The Operational Medical Orderly, better known as the Ops Medic is the collective name for the South African Defence Forces Operationally trained Medics. The Ops refers to the Operational area and was used to indicate that the medical orderlies deployed to the Operational area or theatre of operations of the then South African Defence Force (SADF). The Operational area referred to the border or cutline between Namibia and Angola where the Angolan Bush War conflict or border war was taking place from the 1970s to 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1 Medical Battalion Group</span> Military unit

1 Medical Battalion Group is a Medical Battalion in the South African Medical Health Services (SAMHS), part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The unit falls under the command of the Mobile Military Health Formation. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It is based in the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African Army Armour Formation</span> Military unit

The South African Army Armour Formation provides an Armour capability to the South African Army. The Formation came into being as part of a restructure. South African Armour Corps units previously under the command of various different brigades and other formations were all grouped under one formation. All armour is assigned to the SA Army Armour Formation under the charge of a General Officer Commanding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joint Operations Division</span> Military unit

The Joint Operations Division is a component of the South African National Defence Force tasked with conducting Joint Operations involving the various arms of the SANDF.

Edward George McGill Alexander is a former South African Army officer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6 Medical Battalion Group</span> Military unit

6 Medical Battalion Group is a Medical Battalion in the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS). SAMHS is the fourth Arm of Service of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).

3 Medical Battalion Group is a Medical Battalion in the South African Medical Health Services (SAMHS), part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The unit falls under the command of the Mobile Military Health Formation. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It is based at Fort iKapa military base in Goodwood, Cape Town in the Western Cape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bands of the South African National Defence Force</span>

There are currently 9 main military bands currently belonging to the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), which represent the different branches of the SANDF and providing music on ceremonial occasions. Since military bands were introduced in the country, they have played a prominent role in public and military life. Pipe bands also play an important role in South African military music, with notable pipe bands coming from the Cape Town Highlanders, Transvaal Scottish Regiment and the South African Military Health Service. Military bands of the SANDF are also affiliated with the police bands of the South African Police Service. In addition to military music, military bands in the SANDF perform different genres, including classical, jazz, pop and light music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swedish Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine</span> Military unit

The Swedish Armed Forces Centre for Defence Medicine is a tri-service military medicine center in the Swedish Armed Forces. Its staff is made up of officers, civilian specialists, group commanders and officer reservists – tasked with ensuring care is provided during peacetime, on international missions, at times of crisis and in combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile Military Health Formation</span> Military unit

The South African Military Health Service Mobile Military Health Formation is the SANDF military special operations health capability. The formation operates two regular force medical battalions, with 7 Medical Battalion Group providing support to the South African Special Forces Brigade and 8 Medical Battalion Group focusing on airborne operations. Three reserve units, 1 Medical Battalion Group, 3 Medical Battalion Group and 6 Medical Battalion Group fall under the command of the formation.

References

  1. "SANDF not meeting staffing targets". defenceweb.co.za. DefenceWeb. 11 November 2014. Retrieved 12 November 2014.

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain . Country Studies. Federal Research Division.