Concrete spending targets established
South Africa’s national health budget includes a dedicated NCD subprogramme with a specific annual allocation. In 2022/23, the subprogramme received an allocations of approximately US$4.6 million, with funding projected to US$5.2 million by 2025/26. Assigning an explicit budget to this subprogramme supports transparency and accountablility.
Optimised and coherent fiscal policies
In 2018, South Africa introduced a 10% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages as part of its Health Promotion Levy. This was followed by a 29% reduction in consumption. This reduction was most drastic among people in urban households with lower socioeconomic status, where SSB purchases dropped by 57%, demonstrating how fiscal policies can also support health equity.
Investment in/prioritisation of data and surveillance
South Africa has made data on NCD spending available through national health expenditure reporting. As of 2019, it was the only G20 country for which NCD spending data were available in the WHO Global Health Expenditure Database. South Africa was also among 37 of 55 African Union Member States with data on government health expenditure for NCDs in the same database, signalling a growing effort to improve data in the region.
Strategic access levels to lower costs of medicines and devices
Not yet assessed