Roles of the South African Military Health Service
About SAMHS
To ensure a healthy military community we need to provide a comprehensive, excellent and self-supporting multidisciplinary military health service, which ensures a healthy military community.
Why a Military Health Service?
Internationally it is standard principle that members of a defence force who risk physical psychological and social exposure, injuries, disablement or death in service of their country, can depend on a dedicated health service that is guaranteed, comprehensive, available anywhere at all times, and thus supportive.
This international norm places a moral obligation on a country to guarantee provision on its defence force for a military health service that renders continuous operational health support. Thus the SANDF needs a health capability that is trained in and interlinked with the doctrine of combatant forces.
Operational Support
| SA Army | SAMHS |
| Defense of RSA Peace support Ground Forces |
8 Med Bn Gp |
| Airborne forces Special forces |
7 Med Bn Gp |
| Reserve forces | Mobile Military Health Formation and other Res structures |
| Area protection | Area military health units |
| SA Air Force | SAMHS |
| Bases/Stations | SAMHS infrastructure Institute of Aviation Medicine |
| SA Navy | SAMHS |
| Naval Bases | SAMHS infrastructure SAMHS personnel on board vessels Institute for Maritime Medicine (IMM) (Diving and submarine medicine) |
| SAMHS Installations | Client |
| Military Hospitals (3) Military Base Hospitals (4) Sickbays (36) Institutes (4) (2 referral centers) Regional OHS centers (5) Sickbays aboard ships Military medical clinics (42) Health centers (28) |
SA National Defense Force SA Police Service Dept of Correctional Service Private sector as approved Collateral utilization |
Specialized Services and Logistic Support
| Institution | Field of Service | Client |
| Institute of Aviation Medicine | Aviation Medicine | SA Air force SA Airways Dept of Transport Presidency and Deputy President’s household staff |
| Institute for Maritime Medicine | Diving and submarine medicine | SA Navy All diving organizations in RSA Dept of Labour dept of Environmental Affairs |
| Military Psychological Institute | Psycho-strategy Trauma psychology Aviation psychology Specialist selection Organisational psychology research Training Community psychology |
SANDF SA Police Service Dept of Transport Dept of Environmental Affairs Dept of Correctional Services |
| Military Veterinary Institute | Preventative and curative animal health Promotion of animal health research |
Specialist Light Infantry (12 SAI Bn) SA Police Service Dept off Correctional Service |
| 7 Medical Battalion Group | Defensive and detection measures for defensive warfare measures and radiation injuries | SANDF SA Police Service dept of Foreign Affairs Dept of National Health National Energy Commission |
| Military Health Base Depot | Acquisition, stockpiling and distribution of medical supplies | SANDF Civil services Health authorities |
| Regional OHS centers | Occupational health and safety | DOD Dept of Labour |