EKASINOMICS - Unu Health | Healthcare Tech Platform

Loading player...
GUEST – Tania Joffe, CEO and Principal of Unu Health

South Africa’s health care remains a two-tiered space, where access to private healthcare, which accounts for 50% of our total expenditure on health, and which supports 17% of our population, remains linked to the ability to pay for private medical scheme membership.

Despite remarkable innovation and progress globally in the health tech domain, which seeks to remove friction and improve access, South Africa’s population with access to private healthcare has moved from 9.6% in 1974 (2.4m members/ population of 25m) to 17% in 2021 (9m member/ population of 59.3m). Aiming to urgently step into the gap, Unu Health is a technology platform that delivers access to affordable, quality primary healthcare.The platform gives users access to primary healthcare providers including nurses, doctors, and pharmacy networks via a zero-rated mobile app, and seeks to empower users to own their wellbeing, key to addressing non-communicable diseases, which by 2030 will be the number one driver of mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa.
28 Feb 2023 5PM English South Africa Business News · Investing

Other recent episodes

How Currency Volatility Is Hitting South African SMEs

A new Verto report warns that currency volatility is now a bigger threat to SME margins than logistics. Rumbi Shoniwa from Verto SA explains how FX swings erode profits and the practical steps SMEs can take to protect themselves.
29 Apr 3PM 11 min

Engineering Through Headwinds: Leoka’s 10‑Year Growth Story

Leoka Engineering founder Katlego Makgata reflects on a decade of building a 100% Black‑owned EPCM firm in one of South Africa’s toughest sectors. We discuss OR Tambo’s mission‑critical operations and the digital innovations shaping the next era of African engineering.
29 Apr 3PM 18 min

The New Rules of SME Resilience in 2026

Merchant Capital CTO David Reynders joins us to unpack how South African SMEs are navigating a volatile economy. We explore cash‑flow discipline, cost‑cutting without damaging growth, and why “cash buys you time.”
29 Apr 3PM 13 min

South Africa’s Fuel Relief Extended

The government has extended the temporary fuel levy cut—but what does this mean for inflation, household budgets, and the Reserve Bank’s rate path? PSG Chief Economist Johann Els explains.
29 Apr 3PM 11 min

Easter on a Budget: How South Africans Navigated the Fuel Spike

Lightstone Retail’s Mohit Narotam breaks down new mobility data showing how South Africans re‑engineered their Easter travel plans to beat one of the biggest fuel hikes in years. From early departures to shorter trips and smarter refueling
29 Apr 3PM 12 min