Netcare medical aid: the Netcare Medical Scheme, NetcarePlus and Medicross

The scheme was established in 1999 for Netcare employees and their families. Its brochure says membership is restricted to permanent employees, pensioners, disability and continuation members of Netcare Limited, as set out in the scheme rules, and its own site says it "exists solely for Netcare employees and their loved ones".

Membership can be voluntary or compulsory depending on the employee's conditions of employment. Members who resign from Netcare, with their dependants, are not eligible to stay on the scheme. The scheme is run by a Board of Trustees, six appointed by the employer and six elected by members.

If you do not work for Netcare, this scheme is not an option, whatever a search result suggests. The scheme is administered by Discovery Health (Pty) Ltd, but it is a separate restricted scheme and not a Discovery Health plan.

• There is a registered Netcare Medical Scheme (registration number 1584) but it is a restricted scheme for Netcare Limited employees, pensioners, disability and continuation members and their dependants; the public cannot join it. Everything else Netcare sells to the public under NetcarePlus (GapCare, Accident Cover, prepaid procedures) is insurance or prepaid healthcare, not a medical scheme, and Netcare Medicross is a network of medical and dental centres, not a scheme. (netcaremedicalscheme.co.za)
• Netcare Medical Scheme was established in 1999 for Netcare employees and their families and is run by a Board of Trustees, six appointed by the employer and six elected by members. (netcaremedicalscheme.co.za)
• Membership is voluntary or compulsory depending on the employee's conditions of employment, and is tied to employment or former employment with Netcare. (netcaremedicalscheme.co.za)
• Members who resign from Netcare (with their dependants) are not eligible to stay on the scheme. (netcaremedicalscheme.co.za)
• For 2026 the scheme offers a Savings Option brochure and a WellnessWallet of once-per-membership benefits for members on the Netcare Savings benefit option, available from 2026. (netcaremedicalscheme.co.za)
• NetcarePlus GapCare states it is not a medical scheme and is not a substitute for medical scheme membership. (netcare.co.za)
• NetcarePlus GapCare prices changed on 1 January 2026. (netcare.co.za)
• GapCare is only sold to people who already have a medical aid; the no-medical-aid product is the accident-only EmergencyCare/Accident Cover. (netcare.co.za)
• Netcare Medicross describes itself as the largest network of private medical and dental centres in South Africa, operating across eight provinces. It is a provider network (GP, dentist, day hospital), not a medical scheme or insurer. (netcare.co.za)
• NetcarePlus says it was voted No. 1 medical insurance brand in the Ask Afrika Orange Index 2024/2025 awards. (netcare.co.za)

Netcare medical aid (Netcare Medical Scheme, NetcarePlus and Netcare Medicross) publishes 6 benefit options for 2026. Prices are the monthly contribution for a main member as published by Netcare. Adult and child dependants pay extra. Checked on 29 September 2026.

Sources: netcaremedicalscheme.co.za/...cal-scheme-brochure-2026.pdf, netcare.co.za/NetcarePlus/Gap-Cover, netcare.co.za/NetcarePlus/Accident-Cover, netcare.co.za/NetcarePlus.

There is one option: the Savings Option. It combines a risk portion with a Member Savings Account and uses Designated Service Providers. Contributions depend on the principal member's salary band and the number of adult and child dependants. The 2026 contribution table applies from 1 May 2026, and the total premium includes the risk and savings portions.

New for 2026 is the WellnessWallet, a set of once-per-membership benefits for members on the Savings Option. For members who need the detail, the scheme's 2026 brochure and rules are on its website, and the contact numbers are in the table.

We found no announced 2026 or 2027 contribution increase percentage for this scheme. For context, the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) recommended that 2027 increases be anchored at 3.8%, and schemes that want more must justify it. Read the designated service provider guide and the medical savings account guide if those terms are new.

Checked on 29 September 2026 against Netcare's official website. Numbers change, so confirm on the linked page before you call. A scheme will not ask you to pay into a new bank account over the phone: hang up and call the official number if anything feels off.

Sources: netcaremedicalscheme.co.za/portal/netcare/contact-us, netcare.co.za/NetcarePlus, netcare.co.za/Netcare-911, netcare.co.za/netcare-medicross. All schemes' numbers are on our medical aid contact numbers page.

NetcarePlus is Netcare's insurance and prepaid healthcare brand. None of it is a medical scheme.

GapCare pays up to an additional 500% of medical aid tariffs in and out of hospital, with unlimited co-payment cover at Netcare hospitals. GapCare 300+ pays up to an additional 300% and GapCare 500+ up to an additional 500%, both with out-of-hospital shortfalls as well. GapCare prices changed on 1 January 2026, and the administrator is Netcare Plus Solutions (Pty) Ltd. See our gap cover guide.

NetcarePlus Accident Cover pays for accident injuries only: Netcare 911 transport, emergency surgery and treatment, and hospitalisation including high care and ICU, plus a R1 000 a day family care benefit after more than two nights in hospital. It does not cover illness.

GapCare needs a medical scheme underneath it: it is only available if you have medical aid. Neither product is hospital cover for illness, and neither carries Prescribed Minimum Benefits (PMBs).

Prepaid Procedures cover a list of planned surgeries (eye, ear, nose and throat, urology, orthopaedic, gynaecological and general). It is a fixed-price offer, not an insurance policy, and no prices were published on the page we checked, so ask for a written quote and what is excluded.

Netcare Medicross describes itself as the largest network of private medical and dental centres in South Africa, operating across eight provinces. It is a provider network with GPs, dentists and day hospital services. It is not a scheme and not insurance, so ask your own scheme or insurer how visits there are treated.

Netcare 911 is the emergency transport service that the scheme, NetcarePlus Accident Cover and Dis-Chem Health all point to. Read the emergency and ambulance cover guide for how your scheme treats emergencies.

Look at open schemes, which must accept any applicant, although waiting periods and late joiner penalties can apply. Entry hospital and network plans on the 2026 figures include Bonitas BonCore at R1 275 for every beneficiary, Fedhealth flexiFED Savvy hospital plan at R1 155 for the main member, Medihelp MedVital Elect at R2 412 for the main member, and income-based options such as Discovery KeyCare Start and Momentum Ingwe.

If you want Netcare hospitals, check the hospital network of each plan you consider, because network rules differ between options. Compare on hospital plans in South Africa, then see Discovery Health and Bonitas. The joining guide lists the steps.

For the Netcare Medical Scheme, use the scheme's complaints route first (the escalated complaints email is in the contact table). If it is not resolved, the Council for Medical Schemes handles complaints about registered schemes: see the CMS complaints guide.

For NetcarePlus GapCare, Accident Cover and other insurance, complain to NetcarePlus first and then to the National Financial Ombud. The CMS does not deal with insurance products.