South Africa Medical Gas and Equipment Market Overview,2030

The medical gas and equipment market in South Africa has developed significantly over the past decade, driven by major healthcare infrastructure upgrades and the country’s response to respiratory disease burdens. Hospitals such as Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital in Johannesburg and Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town have transitioned from manual cylinder systems to fully automated centralized gas pipeline networks distributing oxygen, nitrous oxide, and medical air through precision-controlled manifolds. The South African Bureau of Standards under SANS 7396-1 regulates the design, testing, and installation of medical gas systems, aligning them with global benchmarks set by ISO and WHO. The increase in chronic respiratory illnesses, including tuberculosis and asthma, reported by the South African Thoracic Society, has significantly elevated oxygen therapy requirements in both urban and rural medical facilities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African government rapidly expanded its oxygen infrastructure, with the Department of Health commissioning on-site PSA oxygen generation plants at George Hospital and Dora Nginza Hospital in the Eastern Cape to ensure continuous oxygen availability. Engineering service providers such as Afrox Healthcare and Air Products South Africa have played a central role in installing and maintaining centralized systems across major hospitals, ensuring uninterrupted medical gas supply. Advances in cryogenic technology and IoT-based gas monitoring systems have been integrated into ICU units at facilities like Netcare Milpark Hospital to enhance patient safety. Environmental sustainability is an emerging focus, with Afrox implementing cylinder recycling programs and adopting energy-efficient air separation technologies to reduce carbon footprints in gas production. The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority mandates strict certification processes and routine purity testing to ensure gas quality compliance under national health safety codes. Training programs at institutions like the University of Pretoria’s Biomedical Engineering Department provide specialized education on gas handling, leak detection, and pipeline maintenance, reinforcing the safety and technical standards required to sustain South Africa’s evolving healthcare infrastructure.

According to the research report, ""South Africa Medical Gas and Equipment Market Overview, 2030,"" published by Bonafide Research, the South Africa Medical Gas and Equipment market is anticipated to grow at more than 7.72% CAGR from 2025 to 2030. The South African medical gas and equipment market continues to expand through local industrial capacity, digitalization, and strategic public-private collaboration. Afrox Healthcare, a subsidiary of Linde plc, remains a dominant supplier, operating large-scale air separation units in Germiston and Durban that provide high-purity medical oxygen and nitrogen to hospitals and clinics across the country. During the pandemic, Afrox, in partnership with the National Department of Health, rapidly scaled production to support overwhelmed ICUs, installing portable cryogenic storage tanks and emergency oxygen manifolds at Groote Schuur Hospital and Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital. Air Products South Africa has invested in on-site generation systems for rural healthcare facilities, ensuring stable supply in provinces like Limpopo and Mpumalanga where logistics present challenges. Gas reprocessing and transport safety are managed under the oversight of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition, which promotes local manufacturing of gas cylinders and pressure regulators to enhance supply independence. In the private sector, Mediclinic Southern Africa and Life Healthcare have integrated AI-driven gas monitoring software developed by local engineering firm GasTech Systems to manage consumption and detect leakages in real time. The home healthcare market is also growing, with companies like VitalAire and OxyLife SA offering portable oxygen concentrators for long-term respiratory care. Cryogenic storage and gas distribution have been further optimized through investment in new delivery fleets and digital logistics tracking systems managed by Imperial Logistics Healthcare. Emerging startups such as MedGas Africa are developing low-cost PSA oxygen units and modular manifold systems for district hospitals. Research centers like the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research are exploring sustainable gas production methods using renewable-powered separation technologies.

In South Africa the medical gases and equipment market is divided into two interdependent segments that form a vital part of the country’s healthcare operations, consisting of the supply of medical gases and the development and installation of gas delivery systems. The medical gases segment includes oxygen, nitrous oxide, medical air, nitrogen and carbon dioxide which are distributed to hospitals, clinics and home healthcare providers across provinces such as Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Western Cape and the Eastern Cape. Hospitals like Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg and Groote Schuur Hospital in Cape Town depend on bulk liquid oxygen storage systems and medical air supplies to run their intensive care and surgical units. On the equipment side, South African engineering and healthcare technology companies provide manifold systems, regulators, flowmeters, vacuum systems, bedhead units, alarm monitors and pipeline installations in accordance with South African National Standards to ensure safe operation. These systems are installed across both public and private healthcare networks, including hospitals operated by groups such as Netcare and Mediclinic, which maintain extensive central gas infrastructure. Smaller regional clinics and home-based healthcare settings in rural areas of Limpopo and Mpumalanga rely more on portable concentrators, mobile cylinders and modular manifold banks due to infrastructure constraints. The link between the gas suppliers and the equipment providers is crucial since the effectiveness and safety of medical gases depend on the precision and reliability of the delivery systems. In South Africa this collaboration underpins all stages of medical gas management from production and storage to hospital distribution and home-based patient care, reflecting the integration of industrial technology and medical engineering across both urban and rural healthcare environments.

In South Africa medical gases and equipment are used across therapeutic, diagnostic, pharmaceutical and other healthcare applications, reflecting the diversity of the medical system. In therapeutic care oxygen and medical air are fundamental to hospitals and clinics for respiratory treatment, intensive care and surgical support, particularly in large tertiary hospitals such as Tygerberg Hospital and Steve Biko Academic Hospital where central supply systems ensure uninterrupted oxygen flow to patients. Diagnostic uses of gases are widespread, including carbon dioxide for laparoscopic surgery, helium and nitrogen for imaging systems such as MRI and CT scanners, and gas mixtures for laboratory calibration in research and clinical laboratories located in Johannesburg and Durban. Within the pharmaceutical sector medical gases play a crucial role in sterile drug production, cryopreservation of biological materials and laboratory processes, with pharmaceutical facilities in regions like Port Elizabeth and Pretoria relying on advanced gas management equipment. Other applications include the use of nitrous oxide in dental practices, portable oxygen systems for ambulance services and field hospitals, and suction and vacuum systems for emergency care units and mobile clinics in remote communities. Regulatory bodies in South Africa enforce strict standards for gas purity, equipment maintenance and installation safety across all medical applications, ensuring reliability and compliance in both public and private healthcare institutions. These gases and systems are therefore integral to the country’s therapeutic treatments, laboratory diagnostics and manufacturing environments that collectively sustain its medical infrastructure.

In South Africa the end-users of medical gases and related equipment include hospitals, home healthcare services, ambulatory surgical centres, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and academic and research institutions, each operating under distinct infrastructure and service models. Major hospitals such as Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital and Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital maintain complex pipeline systems, manifold installations, vacuum systems and alarm panels that distribute oxygen, air and nitrous oxide throughout intensive care, surgical and emergency departments. Home healthcare providers deliver portable oxygen concentrators, cylinders and flow control units to patients across both urban centres and remote regions such as the Northern Cape, supporting long-term respiratory care. Ambulatory surgical centres and private day clinics in cities like Pretoria and Cape Town rely on smaller-scale manifold systems and cylinder supplies for outpatient surgeries and anesthesia procedures. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms operating in industrial zones near Durban and Port Elizabeth use ultra-pure gas systems and precision-engineered delivery equipment in laboratories and manufacturing facilities to ensure product safety and compliance with national medical standards. Academic and research institutions such as the University of Cape Town and the University of the Witwatersrand use cryogenic storage systems, laboratory pipelines and controlled delivery equipment for medical research and clinical training. Each end-user segment in South Africa depends on consistent gas supply, rigorous maintenance and certified installation processes to meet the healthcare and research needs of a diverse and geographically expansive country.

Considered in this report
• Historic Year: 2019
• Base year: 2024
• Estimated year: 2025
• Forecast year: 2030

Aspects covered in this report
• Medical Gas and Equipment Market with its value and forecast along with its segments
• Various drivers and challenges
• On-going trends and developments
• Top profiled companies
• Strategic recommendation

By Product Type
• Medical Gases
• Medical Gas Equipment

By Application
• Therapeutic
• Diagnostic
• Pharmaceutical Industry
• Others

By End-User
• Hospitals
• Home Healthcare
• Ambulatory Surgical Centers
• Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies
• Academic & Research Institutions Show more