Rotary Family Health Days 2025: Bringing Healthcare Closer to the People
- Karabo Makgato
On Thursday, 30 October 2025, the Department of Health, in partnership with the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), Rotary Action Group for Family Health & AIDS Prevention (RFHA), the Mpumalanga Provincial Government, and Gift of the Givers, brought essential health services directly to the people of Elukwatini near Badplaas in the Albert Luthuli Local Municipality, Mpumalanga.
The event forms part of the annual RFHD, a flagship initiative dedicated to providing free, comprehensive healthcare to communities across South Africa.
The 2025 RFHD event aligned with government’s commitment to take services to the people, especially those living far from health facilities. It reinforces the idea that access to healthcare is not a privilege but a fundamental right, a cornerstone of social and economic development.
The Rotary Family Health Days initiative continues to serve as a vital platform for extending integrated health services to millions of South Africans. Since its inception in 2013 under the Checka Impilo Wellness Campaign, the programme has offered communities a broad range of health services.
Delivering the keynote address, Minister of Health Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, reflected on the impact and enduring value of the partnership with Rotary International, now in its 12th year. “Each year, this gathering renews our shared commitment to one simple but powerful idea: bringing healthcare closer to our people through Rotary International and our government partnership, that ideal is not merely spoken, it is lived. It reaches our villages, townships, and settlements, turning compassion into action and access into reality,” said Dr Motsoaledi.
The Minister underscored the essence of the Rotary Family Health Days as a family-centred promise of care, a call to protect every generation and to strengthen the Quiet Pillars of public health through prevention, screening, and education. He also emphasised the importance of adherence to treatment, highlighting two major advancements in South Africa’s HIV response – Lenacapavir and 6-multi-month-dispensing.
Dr Motsoaledi also used the platform to make a heartfelt appeal to men, urging them to take responsibility for their health; “too many men still neglect regular check-ups and testing. This gap continues to cost families and communities dearly. It is time for men to lead by example and prioritise their health.”
Mr. Solly Nduku, Chairperson of the SANAC Civil Society Forum, commended the RFHD initiative, led by its CEO Ms Sue Paget as a model of sustained, people-centred healthcare delivery. “This initiative represents the power of partnership and shared responsibility in improving the health and wellbeing of our people, especially those in disadvantaged and hard-to-reach communities. It is a shining example of how collaboration between civil society, government, and development partners can translate into real, measurable impact for our communities ” said Nduku.
Mr. Nduku also reaffirmed civil society’s support for key recent milestones in the national HIV and TB response, including the Close the Gap Campaign, the relaunch of the South African Parliamentary TB Caucus, the End TB public-facing dashboard, and the SAHPRA approval of Lenacapavir. “Our commitment to ensuring integrated, equitable, and accessible healthcare for all South Africans remains unwavering,” Nduku emphasized. “Health equity is not a privilege; it is a right.