South Africa’s healthcare system continues to face immense pressure, from overloaded public hospitals and understaffed clinics to a shortage of medical professionals equipped to handle the country’s complex health challenges. The crisis doesn’t begin in the wards, but in the classroom, where aspiring doctors often lack the financial and practical support they need to complete their training and serve where they’re most needed.
In response to these pressures, Bonitas Medical Fund, in partnership with humanitarian organisation Gift of the Givers, have stepped in with targeted support for medical students and clinic personnel at Sefako Makgatho Health Sciences University. On Tuesday, 5 August, the organisations officially handed over bursaries and much-needed technology at the university, offering much-needed relief at both student and operational level.
The handover includes HP i3 desktop computers and i5 laptops to assist university clinic staff in managing patient processing more efficiently. In addition, 12 medical students from Sefako Makgatho, Wits and the University of Pretoria will receive bursaries to support the final stretch of their studies. Four of these students are in their fifth and sixth year at Sefako Makgatho and will be present at the event, while the remaining students will receive their support post-handover event.
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“The challenges we’re trying to solve are systemic,” explains Lee Callakoppen, Principal Officer at Bonitas. “Our goal is to contribute to a stronger, more responsive healthcare system in the long term, by supporting the students and frontline staff at institution level.”
He adds that Bonitas’ partnership with Gift of the Givers underscores their shared belief that healthcare access must be built from the inside out by empowering the people and institutions that keep the system running.
“South Africa has no shortage of brilliant, committed young people wanting to serve their country through medicine,” says Dr Imtiaz Sooliman of Gift of the Givers. “What they need is the right backing today.”
This initiative forms part of Bonitas’ broader focus on delivering quality healthcare to its members and the broader South African public through partnerships that drive tangible community impact.
As the country looks to stabilise and future-proof its healthcare infrastructure, initiatives like this highlight how strategic collaboration between the private and non-profit sectors can deliver practical, people-centred solutions. For the students on the receiving end, these interventions are a vote of confidence in their ability to lead the next chapter of public health in South Africa.
