In 2001, South Africans were dying of AIDS in staggering numbers. Antiretroviral drugs existed, but for public-sector patients, they were out of reach. Professor Ian Sanne—an infectious disease specialist at the University of the Witwatersrand who had already built the Clinical HIV Research Unit—decided to do something about it. He registered Right to Care as a nonprofit in Johannesburg with a simple, stubborn goal: get life-saving treatment to the people who needed it.
That founding impulse has shaped everything since. Today, Right to Care employs over 4,500 people across seven countries, manages more than 20 donor-funded grants, and directly supports over 1.1 million patients on antiretroviral therapy. But what matters is not just the scale—it’s how we got here.
We were among the first to bring public-sector HIV treatment to South Africa. We performed the country’s one-millionth voluntary medical male circumcision. We built Africa’s first “ATM pharmacy”—a machine that robotically dispenses medication in under three minutes—in Alexandra township. We introduced “situation rooms” that use real-time data and machine learning to spot problems in health programmes before they become crises. And we established the EQUIP consortium: the first African-led, USAID-funded global health initiative, now working in 17 countries.
Right to Care is a clinical service provider, a health system strengthener, a pharmaceutical innovator, a data science operation, and a grant fund manager—often all at once. Our subsidiaries—Right ePharmacy, Right Clinic, Right SI, QODE Health Solutions, and Right to Care Health Services—each tackle a specific gap in healthcare delivery. Together, they form a complete ecosystem.
We are governed by a distinguished board (two-thirds non-executive), comply with King III corporate governance standards, and have never received a qualified audit. Our research partnerships—particularly with the Health Economics and Epidemiology Research Office (HE²RO) at Wits and Boston University’s School of Public Health—mean that what we do is grounded in evidence, not guesswork.
To be a trusted partner in sustainable health and social intervention
To improve health and quality of life for all through partnerships and by utilising our resources in an efficient and sustainable manner
To attain equitable Right to health Care and improved quality of life
Compassion, dedication, and commitment.
We see the humanity in every patient, every data point, every policy decision. Our work begins and ends with the people we serve—from the mother collecting chronic medication through a smart locker, to the healthcare worker we mentor in a rural clinic. Care is in our name because it is in everything we do.
Adapting to the needs of our communities.
Health needs shift—between communities, between provinces, between pandemics. When COVID-19 struck, we pivoted our data infrastructure, GIS mapping, and clinical networks to support the national response within weeks. When PEPFAR priorities evolved, we transitioned from direct service delivery to technical assistance without missing a beat. Responsiveness is not reactive—it is built into our operating model.
Agile solutions for better healthcare access.
We reject the premise that resource-limited settings must accept resource-limited thinking. From ATM pharmacies that robotically dispense medication in under three minutes, to AI-powered programme evaluation and Collect & Go smart lockers at 70+ sites, we build the tools that make healthcare systems work—and we build them in Africa, for Africa, and increasingly for the world.
A calling to make a real difference.
This is not a job—it is a calling. From Professor Ian Sanne, founding Right to Care during the darkest days of South Africa’s HIV crisis, to the community health workers testing patients in rural Zambia today, passion is the thread that connects every person in this organisation.
Dignity and fairness for all.
We work specifically to reach those whom health systems have historically failed—key populations including men who have sex with men, transgender people, people who inject drugs, sex workers, and inmates. We partner with governments without replacing them. We engage communities without patronising them. Every person who walks into a Right to Care–supported facility deserves the same quality of care, regardless of their status, identity, or circumstance.
King IV compliance, non-executive board majority, Deloitte & Touche audits
Gender-responsive programming across all health areas
Three fully localised country programmes (Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho) meeting PEPFAR sustainability requirements
Commitment to reducing the environmental footprint of
healthcare delivery
All research conducted within the ethical frameworks of the University of the Witwatersrand and international regulatory bodies