by MAHMOOD SANGLAY
The South African Muslim Network (SAMNET) and the Islamic Medical Association of South Africa (IMASA) have issued an urgent call to all members of Discovery Health to nominate suitable individuals to serve on the scheme’s board, and attend the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) en masse. Nominations close on January 29, 2025 and the AGM is scheduled to take place on June 26, 2025.
The call is to all members of Discovery Health, irrespective of faith, creed and background, who value justice and human dignity. The ongoing genocide in Palestine demands a response from every individual of conscience, and Discovery Health members are uniquely positioned to effect meaningful change from within.
Discovery Health, one of South Africa’s leading medical schemes, is at the centre of controversy following its decision to align with Israeli healthcare institutions during the Future of Health (FOH) Summit held in November 2024 in Cape Town. This decision has not only sparked outrage among healthcare professionals, civil society groups and faith-based organisations, but also raises serious ethical concerns about corporate responsibility in the face of an ongoing genocide.
The FOH Summit prominently featured Israeli institutions, including the Sheba Medical Centre and the Israeli Ministry of Health—entities directly complicit in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Reports from global human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), have meticulously documented Israel’s war crimes, including the deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical staff and healthcare infrastructure. Yet, Discovery Health chose to proceed with its collaboration, effectively offering legitimacy to these atrocities.
Jamiatul Ulama South Africa (JUSA) has also condemned Discovery’s actions, labeling its association with Israeli health institutions as ‘tone deaf’ and ‘unconscionable.’ Healthcare Workers for Palestine and the Media Review Network (MRN) have echoed these sentiments, pointing out the grotesque irony of hosting discussions about the ‘future of health’ while Israeli forces systematically obliterate Gaza’s healthcare system.
Healthcare, at its core, is a human right. When a medical aid giant like Discovery Health chooses to platform those complicit in war crimes, it not only betrays the trust of its members but also compromises the moral fabric of South African society. The summit, far from being a neutral platform for dialogue, became a stage for the sanitisation of crimes against humanity.
This controversy extends beyond moral outrage. It demands structural change. The SAMNET and IMASA call for Discovery members to actively participate in the forthcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) in January 2025 and to ensure the nomination and election of board members who represent ethical integrity and a commitment to universal human rights. Members must ask: Are our contributions to this medical scheme enabling complicity in genocide? And if so, how do we reclaim agency over where our money goes and whom it empowers?
It is not enough for Discovery Health to issue carefully worded statements of clarification, distancing itself from direct involvement with the Israeli Ministry of Health. The participation of Israeli delegates from Sheba Medical Centre clarifies Discovery’s priorities. Words cannot erase the visual imagery of destroyed hospitals in Gaza, of children dying from treatable wounds or of medical workers being executed while performing their duties.
The broader South African public, including Discovery Health members, must heed the call to action. Transformation is not merely a procedural requirement; it is an ethical obligation. Attending the AGM en masse and nominating individuals with moral courage and ethical clarity is the first step. Silence and inaction are no longer options.
As South Africans, we cannot betray the values embedded in our historic anti-apartheid struggle. The same arguments about ‘neutral platforms’ and ‘dialogue opportunities’ were used to justify collaborations with the erstwhile South African apartheid regime. Today, history repeats itself, and Discovery Health stands on the wrong side. The AGM is not just a meeting. It is a moral battleground. Members must show up, speak out and vote for a board that upholds the principles of justice, dignity and humanity.
The time for passive observation is over. The future of health cannot be built on the ashes of Gaza’s hospitals. The forthcoming Discovery Health AGM is an opportunity for action by its members, in the interests of health and justice for all.
