R32 billion health budget signals fresh start for Western Cape healthcare system
Minister Mireille Wenger delivers the Western Cape Health Department’s 2025/26 Budget, outlining bold plans to rebuild the public healthcare system and improve patient care across the province.
Image: supplied
Western Cape Minister of Health and Wellness, Mireille Wenger, has tabled a bold R32 billion budget for the 2025/26 financial year, ushering in what she described as “a new chapter” for healthcare in the province.
Wenger says this budget is more than a financial plan, it’s a statement of intent.
“It’s about stability, resilience, and hope. It’s about starting a new chapter, together.”
The province’s public health system, which supports over 75% of the population and recorded more than 25 million patient contacts last year, has faced immense pressure in recent years, from the COVID-19 pandemic to austerity constraints.
With the new budget, the provincial department is focused on rebuilding that system and restoring public confidence.
Key priorities include restoring critical staffing levels, with over R60.2 billion earmarked for employee compensation over the medium term and managing rising medical costs with over R30 billion set aside for goods and services.
Infrastructure development also features strongly in the plan, with R1.39 billion allocated to Health Facilities Management for 29 active construction projects across the province.
Simultaneously, the province is scaling up violence prevention efforts and extending healthcare access in rural areas through mobile clinics and enhanced healthcare worker training.
“We have unfrozen critical posts so that our facilities can recruit the staff they need to deliver quality, compassionate care,” said Wenger.
“This is the first step in restoring strength to our system, and dignity to the patient experience.”
Over the next few years, more than R100 billion will be invested in ensuring equitable access to quality healthcare.
“We do this because we believe every resident of the Western Cape deserves the opportunity to write their own story, free from preventable illness and supported in moments of need,” Wenger emphasized.
The department is also investing R1.39 billion into Health Sciences and Training, underlining its commitment to building a skilled and resilient health workforce.
Partnerships remain a cornerstone of the department’s approach.
“By working together, we expand our reach, improve our services, and deliver better outcomes,” said Wenger, thanking international donors, civil society, and academic institutions for their continued support.
“Behind every budget line, there is a person, a health hero,” she added.
“This budget is not just about allocations. It’s about aspiration. It’s about rewriting the story of public healthcare in the Western Cape, with people at its centre.”
With this budget, the province sets its sights on a healthier, more equitable future, rooted in compassion, community, and the shared determination to do better.
IOL News