Dr Nozipho Sangweni will become the new principal officer of the country’s largest open medical scheme, Discovery Health, on January 1 next year, the scheme’s board of trustees announced today.
Dr Sangweni will take over from Milton Streak, who has decided to step down to pursue other opportunities, a statement from the scheme said.
Dr Sangweni has been the chief medical officer of Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) since October 2015. Before that, she held other positions in the healthcare industry, including chief operations officer at the National Health Laboratory Service and chief medical officer at South African Airways. Dr Sangweni has also served as a DHMS trustee and a member of the scheme’s clinical governance committee.
Commenting on the appointment, Michael van der Nest, the chairperson of the scheme’s board of trustees, said Dr Sangweni has had “excellent and extensive experience in operational, corporate governance and leadership roles at a national level in the public and private sector”.
Van der Nest thanked Streak for his “strong leadership and strategic management focus” during his eight-year tenure, which is evident in the scheme’s “excellent” financial performance and membership growth, as well as the value added to members through innovation and collaboration within the healthcare industry.