The medical devices sector in South Africa is characterised by its complexity and diversity, involving numerous products, companies, and rapid innovation cycles. This sector, despite not being a major employment generator, plays a crucial role in healthcare delivery and offers significant growth potential through both local manufacturing and international investments. Currently, the sector contributes substantially to South Africa's trade deficit, due to high import levels driven by disease.
The development of a comprehensive Masterplan for this sector aims to address the trade deficit, encourage localisation, and boost export revenues. This Masterplan is informed by a detailed value chain analysis based on the 2022 Medical Devices Landscape study by the South African Medical Research Council and trade data from Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies. The analysis identifies key challenges and opportunities within the sector, highlighting the need for strategic interventions to foster growth.
This research comprises the main report and six annexures.
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Main Report: Draft of the South African Medical Devices Masterplan – Value Chain 2024
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Annexure 1: Trade in medical devices
Annexure 2: Methodology of HS Codes for medical devices
Annexure 3: Working group workshop on quick win interventions
Annexure 4A: Case study - Turkey
Annexure 4B: Case study - Development of medical devices value chain in Costa Rica
Annexure 5: Manufacturing financial data