Health Economics Unit - Stellenbosch University

Health Economics Unit - Stellenbosch University A unit in the Health Systems and Public Health Division transforming health through economic evidence

Our researchers, Thandokazi Mvelashe, Thatohatsi Sefuthi and Francis Kwame Salman participated in focused thesis suppo...
29/05/2026

Our researchers, Thandokazi Mvelashe, Thatohatsi Sefuthi and Francis Kwame Salman participated in focused thesis support sessions, where they engaged with Prof Lungiswa Nkonki and Dr Funeka Bango through individual research discussions and feedback meetings.

These sessions created valuable space for reflection, mentorship, and strengthening ongoing research within the Unit.



Stellenbosch University - Division of Health Systems and Public Health
Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Stellenbosch University

Spotted at the Council for Medical Schemes Industry Indaba 2026 🙌🏾After yesterday’s day 1 proceedings, Prof Lungiswa Nko...
14/05/2026

Spotted at the Council for Medical Schemes Industry Indaba 2026 🙌🏾

After yesterday’s day 1 proceedings, Prof Lungiswa Nkonki, connected with key stakeholders at this important national platform.

Today, Prof Nkonki features as a panellist in the Day 2 session on “Contracting for Value and Outcomes: Innovation, Regulation & Performance.”



Stellenbosch University - Division of Health Systems and Public Health
Stellenbosch University

The CMS Industry Indaba 2026 is currently underway in Sandton, bringing together key leaders and stakeholders in South A...
13/05/2026

The CMS Industry Indaba 2026 is currently underway in Sandton, bringing together key leaders and stakeholders in South Africa’s medical schemes environment.

Hosted under the theme of strengthening accountability and advancing value, the Indaba creates an important platform for dialogue on fraud, waste and abuse, Section 59 reform, value-based care, contracting, pricing, and the future of healthcare purchasing in South Africa.

The Health Economics Unit is pleased to share that our Head of Unit, Prof Lungiswa Nkonki, is in attendance at this important national gathering as a speaker.

The programme brings together high-level voices in the health sector, including the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, Deputy Director-General for Health Regulation and Compliance, Dr Anban Pillay, the Council for Medical Schemes, and other experts from across the medical schemes, regulatory, academic, and health financing landscape.

This platform is highly relevant to HEU’s work, as these conversations speak directly to health economics, strategic purchasing, value-based care, evidence-informed decision-making, and the broader goal of strengthening South Africa’s health system.

Tomorrow, Prof Nkonki will feature as a panellist in the Day 2 session on “Contracting for Value and Outcomes: Innovation, Regulation & Performance.”
We look forward to the insights emerging from this important national dialogue.



Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Stellenbosch University - Division of Health Systems and Public Health
Stellenbosch University

What do you do when the budget is tight, but the needs are endless?That’s exactly what Ms Thandokazi Mvelashe unpacked d...
16/04/2026

What do you do when the budget is tight, but the needs are endless?
That’s exactly what Ms Thandokazi Mvelashe unpacked during the Monitoring & Evaluation Short Course last month; showing how economic evaluation helps us compare programmes, justify choices, and strengthen priority setting in real health systems.

The discussion went beyond theory into the real-world question: How do we use economic evidence to make decisions we can defend; especially in resource-constrained settings?

Thank you to everyone who contributed so thoughtfully to the session 🙌



Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Stellenbosch University - Division of Health Systems and Public Health

SREE Short Course: Day 3 & 4 Recap 📚🔍The midweek sessions took us from “how do we capture the evidence?” to “how do we a...
01/04/2026

SREE Short Course: Day 3 & 4 Recap 📚🔍

The midweek sessions took us from “how do we capture the evidence?” to “how do we actually *use it in decision-making?”, with plenty of critical thinking in between.

Day 3 focused on building strong review foundations. We started with a student-led discussion of Min et al. (2021), unpacking what “good quality” looks like in systematic reviews of pharmacoeconomics. Then Thandokazi Mvelashe guided us through designing a clear data extraction approach, because if you don’t extract well, you can’t synthesise well. We also explored how to summarise economic evaluation evidence with Dr Irina Pokhilenko, followed by two practical, Africa- and systems-relevant sessions:
• Dr Chippo Motyambizi on a case study of the cost of diabetes mellitus in Africa
• Francis Salman presenting a global review and critique on methods for assessing access to quality post-injury care

Day (led by Dr Funeka Bango) shifted to uptake and application. Students engaged with Merlo et al. (2015) on the real barriers to using economic evidence in healthcare decisions, and what can improve uptake. We also debated Bertram et al. (2016) on cost-effectiveness thresholds (pros and cons), tackled the transferability of economic evaluation evidence across settings, and ended with a hands-on checklist activity (CHEERS & CiCERO) to bring quality appraisal to life.

Two days, one theme: rigour + relevance; so evidence can travel beyond journals and into real policy choices. 📊✅

Day 1 & 2 of our Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations (SREE) Short Course reminded us why this work matters: when r...
27/03/2026

Day 1 & 2 of our Systematic Review of Economic Evaluations (SREE) Short Course reminded us why this work matters: when resources are limited, the evidence has to be clear, credible, and usable.

Day 1 kicked off with Ms Thatoatsi Sefuthi unpacking the “why” behind economic evaluation; how it supports real decisions on resource allocation, treatment guidelines, new technologies, and pricing. We also grounded the course in good practice, using Institute of Medicine standards for initiating reviews, finding studies, synthesising evidence, and reporting.

Day 2 got practical. Mrs Janet Ncube walked us through the building blocks of a strong review protocol (with a guided article discussion), Mr Yusuf Ras took us into search strategy design; where to search (PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, Web of Science, PsycINFO + library resources) and how to search (keywords, Boolean operators, thesauri, and PICO). Then Dr Funeka Bango introduced Covidence, where participants jumped straight into a hands-on exercise: running searches and screening titles/abstracts like real review teams do.

Theme is clear: good decisions start with good evidence, and good evidence starts with good methods.🔍📚📊

Healthcare financing is the “how” behind access to care - and it shapes what’s possible long before a patient reaches th...
20/02/2026

Healthcare financing is the “how” behind access to care - and it shapes what’s possible long before a patient reaches the consultation room.

Prof Lungiswa Nkonki delivered a Healthcare Financing lecture for MBChB students at Stellenbosch University, unpacking the essentials of revenue raising, pooling, and strategic purchasing; and why the way we design and manage these functions directly influences equity, quality, efficiency, and real-world health outcomes.

Because medicine doesn’t happen in a vacuum; it happens inside a system. ✅



Stellenbosch University - Division of Health Systems and Public Health
Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Stellenbosch University

“From Esidimeni to Tembisa: Failed Governance | Broken Healthcare | Stolen Lives” is a hybrid colloquium unpacking how g...
11/02/2026

“From Esidimeni to Tembisa: Failed Governance | Broken Healthcare | Stolen Lives” is a hybrid colloquium unpacking how governance failures and accountability gaps translate into real harm - and what must change.

Proud to see Prof. Lungiswa Nkonki (Head of the Stellenbosch University Health Economics Unit) joining the panel alongside Jeff Wicks, Prof Malegapuru Makgoba, and Prof Alex van den Heever.

📅 Wed, 11 Feb 2026 | ⏰ 18:00 - 20:00
📍 Marie Curie Lecture Theatre, University of the Witwatersrand (Parktown) + online access

Register here: https://lnkd.in/dWUrEW_y.

Now that our SREE academic team has left the office, we thought we’d hop on the trend 😅Can you guess who’s who? 👀If you’...
09/02/2026

Now that our SREE academic team has left the office, we thought we’d hop on the trend 😅
Can you guess who’s who? 👀

If you’re seeing this caricature, this is your sign to apply for the course 📝✨

💻 Fully online
📧 [email protected]
📞 +27 21 938 9375
📅 Course starts: 03 March 2026
🗓️ Apply by: 25 February 2026
💰 Course fees: ZAR 6,500.00

📢 Applications are still open!Looking to strengthen your skills in systematic reviews of economic evaluations and learn ...
09/02/2026

📢 Applications are still open!

Looking to strengthen your skills in systematic reviews of economic evaluations and learn how evidence shapes real-world health decisions?

This short course by the Stellenbosch University Health Economics Unit is designed for professionals, researchers, and postgraduate students who want practical, policy-relevant tools to support better decision-making in healthcare.

📅 Course starts: 03 March 2026
🗓️ Apply by: 25 February 2026
💻 Fully online
📧 [email protected]
📞 +27 21 938 9375
Course fees: ZAR 6,500.00

Join a growing community of learners committed to advancing evidence-informed health policy and practice.

Address

Francie Van Zijl Drive, Parow
Cape Town
7505

Opening Hours

Monday 09:00 - 16:00
Tuesday 08:00 - 16:00
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:00
Thursday 08:00 - 16:00
Friday 08:00 - 16:00

Telephone

+27219389111

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