Skosana Sets Five Priorities for Military Health

Lieutenant General Nsizwa Skosana has outlined five priorities for the SA Military Health Service, published in the latest SAMHS News edition.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Military Jobs

Olive-drab military ambulances parked in a dusty base lot beside a plain brick medical facility wall under golden-hour light. — South African Military Health Service chief Lieutenant General Nsizwa Skosana outlined five priorities for SAMHS, including workforce development, facilities upgrades, and fleet renewal. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

Lieutenant General Nsizwa Skosana, South Africa's eighth surgeon general of the SA Military Health Service, has set out five priorities for the service. The priorities were published in the latest edition of SAMHS News.

Why it matters

The priorities set the direction for how the military health service will develop its workforce, facilities, technology and equipment. They follow a change in leadership, with Skosana taking over from Ntshavheni Maphaha, who served from November 2021 to August 2026.

SAMHS runs 36 official sickbays, 42 clinics and five regional occupational health and safety centres, headed by four military hospitals. The source does not give budget figures or deadlines for the priorities.

The players

Nsizwa Skosana

Lieutenant General Nsizwa Skosana is South Africa's eighth surgeon general of the SA Military Health Service, with 32 years in uniform.

Ntshavheni Maphaha

Ntshavheni Maphaha was the previous surgeon general of the SA Military Health Service, serving from November 2021 to August 2026.

The details

Skosana's five priorities are to transform personnel into a highly skilled, world-class workforce; improve military healthcare facilities; expand technology, including artificial intelligence; ensure equipment is readily available; and renew and rejuvenate equipment, including the SAMHS vehicle fleet. His first step is an in-depth review of SAMHS structures, with the aim of establishing a robust command framework.

August 2026: The Gqeberha Military Base Hospital was taken into service.
November 2021 to August 2026: Ntshavheni Maphaha served as surgeon general.
3 November 2026: The article on Skosana's priorities was published, in his third month as surgeon general.

Roadmap

Skosana is the eighth surgeon general since the post was created in 1994, following Ntshavheni Maphaha's term from November 2021 to August 2026. His priorities build on that succession by focusing on workforce, facilities, technology and equipment renewal across the service.

The priorities point to a focus on workforce skills, equipment availability and healthcare facilities across the military health service. For people working in or considering careers in military health, the emphasis on a highly skilled workforce and new technology signals where training and roles may expand.

The takeaway

Skosana's first step is a review of SAMHS structures, so changes to command and service delivery are likely to be shaped by that review. Readers following military health careers should watch how the workforce and technology priorities take shape.