WHX Cape Town & WHX Labs Cape Town: Africa’s healthcare future takes centre stage

WHX Cape Town & WHX Labs Cape Town: Africa’s healthcare future takes centre stage

Africa’s premier healthcare and laboratory science event, WHX Cape Town (formerly Africa Health) returns to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) from 2 – 4 September 2025. Co-located with WHX Labs Cape Town, the event is set to bring together more than 8,000 attendees, 600 exhibitors, and speakers from more than 60 countries.

With the theme Healthcare Without Borders: African Insights, Global Impact, WHX Cape Town and WHX Labs Cape Town will convene policymakers, scientists, clinicians, industry leaders and innovators to reimagine how African solutions can shape global healthcare.

With more than 8,000 attendees, 600+ exhibitors and speakers from 60+ countries, WHX Cape Town and WHX Labs Cape Town will showcase the most urgent and promising changes reimagining African healthcare.

The 2025 programme will A total of 13 conferences will run at WHX Cape Town, with ten under the main congress and three through WHX Labs Cape Town. Each is curated to deliver practical insights and real impact for delegates. Highlights include the Healthcare Indaba on Global Health, spotlighting African-led solutions reshaping access to care; Infection Control, linking sustainability and antimicrobial resistance; and Nursing Management, empowering Africa’s nurse leaders with digital and leadership skills. Delegates can also engage with sessions on Mental Health, Medico Legal & Ethics, Emergency Medicine, and Quality Management & Patient Safety, while Hospital Management & Administration offers strategies for operational excellence. Imaging & Diagnostics and Oncology Imaging focus on cutting-edge detection, diagnosis and AI-driven treatment planning. Complementing these, the three-day WHX Labs Cape Town series will explore Africa’s diagnostic backbone through leadership, multi-omics, AI, and innovation.

A critical moment for African healthcare

The event arrives at a time when healthcare systems across the continent are under pressure but equally open to new opportunities. Globally, rising demand for personalised, preventative and connected care is being met with new breakthroughs in digital health, AI-driven diagnostics and decentralised models of care. On the African continent, these shifts intersect with complex challenges that include underfunded systems, workforce shortages, and long-standing structural inequities, and yet homegrown solutions are emerging.

WHX Cape Town is designed as the meeting place where these ideas can be tested, scaled and turned into action. As Prof. Salome Maswime, who will chair the Global Health Indaba, has noted, prevention and earlier intervention remain critical for saving lives. At the same time, innovators like Dr. Paul Rischbieter in diagnostics and Prof. Rivak Punchoo in laboratory medicine will highlight how data-driven precision tools are re-shaping frontline practice.

“One of the most transformative developments is the shift toward integrated, person-centred care supported by better data, diagnostics and decentralised access to treatment,” says Dr. Paul Rischbieter.

Immersive strategies and leading industry voices

Chairs for the congress include Prof. Salome Maswime, Head of the Global Surgery Division at the University of Cape Town, who will lead the Global Health Indaba; Prof. Feroza Motara, President of the Emergency Medicine Society of South Africa, heading the Emergency Medicine track; Dr. Paul Rischbieter, CME Chair of the Radiological Society of South Africa, chairing Imaging & Diagnostics; and Prof. Rivak Punchoo of UCT and NHLS, who will guide the two-day Laboratory Medicine programme.

“Health is multidisciplinary in its nature, and cuts across all sectors. From nutrition, to sports, to infrastructure, education and work, all play an important role in our wellness, health and access to healthcare. It is important that we have more cross-sector collaborations and initiatives to strengthen health services and health systems,” says Prof. Salome Maswime, Head of the Global Surgery Division at the University of Cape Town.

They are joined by leaders such as Dr. Sabelile Tenza on Quality and Patient Safety, Adv. Phelelani Khumalo on Medico-Legal and Ethics, Dr. Tamiya Nair on Oncology Imaging, Prof. Tahir Pillay on Lab Management, and Sharon Vasuthevan on Nursing Leadership

The event is supported by leading companies including the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), the Society of Medical Laboratory Technology of South Africa (SMLTSA), the Southern African Laboratory Diagnostics Association (SALDA), the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), the Infection Control Africa Network (ICAN) and the Council for Health Service Accreditation of Southern Africa (COHSASA).

Partnerships and professional development

The event is underpinned by a growing network of partnerships. Confirmed industry partners include Siemens Healthineers, Baxter, Standard Bank, Roche, Draeger, Snibe, Tosoh Bioscience, Solventum, Rudolf Riester, Fujifilm, Amazon, Beckman and Radiometer. Their involvement ensures the show floor will feature cutting-edge product launches, live demonstrations and partnership forums.

Equally important are the companies endorsing the event, from NHLS and ASLM to SMLTSA, SALDA, ICAN and COHSASA. Their support underscores WHX Cape Town’s role as a convening platform for the region’s health ecosystem.

This year’s event features 13 dynamic conference tracks, each offering CPD accreditation. The Healthcare Indaba on Global Health provides 6 Clinical CPD points, while Infection Control & Prevention offers 3 Clinical CPD points. Nursing Leadership & Management delivers 4 Clinical & 2 Ethics CPD points, with Mental Health providing 4 Clinical & 2 Ethics CPD. The Emergency Medicine track offers 6 Clinical CPD points, and Quality Management & Patient Safety brings 4 CPD & 2 Ethics points. Medico Legal & Ethics focuses on 6 Ethics CPD points, with Hospital Administration and Management offering 6 Clinical CPD. The technical tracks include Imaging & Diagnostics (5 Clinical CPD), Oncology Imaging, and WHX Labs sessions covering laboratory specialties across all three days. Together, these tracks underscore the theme ‘Healthcare Without Borders: African Insights, Global Impact’, positioning Cape Town as a hub for knowledge exchange and professional development in African-led healthcare solutions.

A platform for Africa, a stage for the world

From live product demos and hosted buyer zones to 13+ country pavilions, WHX Cape Town and WHX Labs Cape Town are designed to turn collaboration into tangible progress. Across three days, attendees will witness how Africa’s most urgent health challenges can be met with context-aware, scalable solutions and how local innovation can influence global systems.

To learn more or register, visit: WHX Cape Town

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