The South African Medical Service (SAMS) was a branch of the South African Defence Force (SADF). In 1994 when the SADF was merged with various other military and armed resistance forces as part of the post-apartheid reforms the SAMS became the South African Military Health Service of the South African National Defence Force. The SAMS operated three hospitals, 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria, 2 Military Hospital in Cape Town, and 3 Military Hospital in Bloemfontein. It also had three specialist institutes; the Institute for Aviation Medicine, the Institute for Maritime Medicine, and the Military Psychological Institute. [1]
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The SA Defence Act Amendment Act, No. 22 of 1922 re-organised the Permanent Force. From 1 February 1923 the Permanent Force consisted a number of Corps, including the SA Medical Corps. [2] [3]
By that time three Medical Corps were already in existence, the Transvaal Medical Corps (established in 1903), the Natal Volunteer Medical Corps (established in 1899) and the Cape Medical Staff Corps. [4]
Over the years, the following Corps formed part of the South African Army:
In the late 1970's before the establishment of the South African Medical Service as an independent Arm of Service, the SA Army's Medical Corps' mobile elements were organised as follows:
Assigned to 1 SA Corps:
Assigned to 7 South African Infantry Division:
as divisional troops, while each brigade had assigned a field ambulance unit (numbered 71, 72 and 73 respectively).
Assigned to 8th Armoured Division (South Africa):
as divisional troops, while each brigade had assigned a field ambulance unit (numbered 81, 82, 83 and 84 respectively).
The SAMS was established in July 1979 as a service branch of the SADF. [5] The establishment combined the medical services of the Army, Navy and the Air Force. The head of the SAMS was the Surgeon-General who had the rank of Lieutenant-General. [1] The role of the SAMS was to provide health and medical support services to the SADF, it included a veterinary section that looked after dogs and horses.
| From | Surgeons General | To |
| 1 February 1960 | Maj Gen Eugene Raymond SSA SM | 31 March 1969 |
| 1 April 1969 | Lt Gen Colin Cockcroft SSA SM | 31 October 1977 |
| 1 November 1977 | Lt Gen Nicolaas Nieuwoudt SSA SD SM | 29 February 1988 |
| 1 March 1988 | Lt Gen Daniel Knobel SSAS SD SOE SM MMM KStJ MBCHB PHD | 27 April 1994 |
| Rank group | General / flag officers | Senior officers | Junior officers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 South African Medical Service (1961–1994) |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| General Generaal | Lieutenant General Luitenant-Generaal | Major General Generaal-Majoor | Brigadier Brigadier | Colonel Kolonel | Commandant Kommandant | Major Majoor | Captain Kaptein | Lieutenant Luitenant | Second Lieutenant Tweede Luitenant | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Corps is a term used for several different kinds of organization. A military innovation by Napoleon I, the formation was first named as such in 1805. The size of a corps varies greatly, but two to five divisions and anywhere from 40,000 to 80,000 are the numbers stated by the US Department of Defense.
The South African Army is the principal land warfare force of South Africa, a part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), along with the South African Air Force, South African Navy and South African Military Health Service. The Army is commanded by the Chief of the Army, who is subordinate to the Chief of the SANDF.
The South African Military Health Service is the branch of the South African National Defence Force responsible for medical facilities and the training and deployment of all medical personnel within the force. Though unusual, as most national militaries integrate their medical structures into their existing service branches, the SANDF regards this structure as being the most efficient method of providing care and support to the SANDF's personnel.
The South African Defence Force (SADF) comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1957 until 1994. Shortly before the state reconstituted itself as a republic in 1961, the former Union Defence Force was officially succeeded by the SADF, which was established by the Defence Act of 1957. The SADF, in turn, was superseded by the South African National Defence Force in 1994.
The Army Medical Department of the U.S. Army (AMEDD), formerly known as the Army Medical Service (AMS), encompasses the Army's six medical Special Branches. It was established as the "Army Hospital" in July 1775 to coordinate the medical care required by the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War. The AMEDD is led by the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, a lieutenant general.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Army.
The term military medicine has a number of potential connotations. It may mean:
Lohatla is a training area of the South African National Defence Force. It is located in the Northern Cape province of South Africa and is home to the SA Army Combat Training Centre, which is part of the South African Army Training Formation.
The South African Army is divided into functional branches, known as corps. Most consist of units, but some, such as the SA Staff Corps, consist only of personnel who are assigned to headquarters and units. The following is a list of corps established since 1912.
The Army Medical Corps is a specialist corps in the Indian Army, which primarily provides medical services to all Army personnel, serving and veterans, along with their families. Along with the branches in the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force, it forms part of the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS). The AFMS consists of more than 70,000 personnel.
The 2nd South African Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the army of the Union of South Africa during World War II. The Brigade formed part of the 1st South African Infantry Division and was formed on 13 August 1940. It served in East Africa and the Western Desert and was disbanded on 1 January 1943.
1 Medical Battalion Group is a Medical Battalion in the South African Medical Health Services (SAMHS), part of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF). The unit falls under the command of the Mobile Military Health Formation. As a reserve unit, it has a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Army Reserve or United States Army National Guard unit. It is based in the city of Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
The Union Defence Force (UDF) comprised the armed forces of South Africa from 1 July 1912, when the Defence Act took effect, two years after the creation of the Union of South Africa, until 1957 when it was reorganised and renamed the South African Defence Force (SADF).
2nd Medical Group is a formation of the British Army under Field Army Troops. It predominantly provides deployed hospital care via 11 Multi-Role Medical Regiments. It also provides specialist medical capabilities via three Nationally Recruited Reserve Units; 306 Hospital Support Regiment, 335 Medical Evacuation Regiment and the Medical Operational Support Unit.
7 South African Infantry Division was a formation of the South African Army, active from the 1960s to 1999.
6 Medical Battalion Group is a Medical Battalion in the South African Military Health Service (SAMHS). SAMHS is the fourth Arm of Service of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF).
8 Mobile Hospital was a mobile hospital in the South African Medical Service (SAMS), part of the South African Defence Force (SADF). As a Citizen Force unit, it was roughly equivalent to a Clinical Wing in the current medical battalion in the SANDF or a mobile field hospital. The unit was based in Pretoria in the Transvaal province of South Africa.
1 South African Corps was a large military formation composed of two SADF Divisions.
71 Motorised Brigade was a formation of 7th South African Infantry Division, a combined arms force consisting of infantry, armour and artillery.
The South African Military Health Service Mobile Military Health Formation is the SANDF military special operations health capability. The formation operates two regular force medical battalions, with 7 Medical Battalion Group providing support to the South African Special Forces Brigade and 8 Medical Battalion Group focusing on airborne operations. Three reserve units, 1 Medical Battalion Group, 3 Medical Battalion Group and 6 Medical Battalion Group fall under the command of the formation.
Surgeons General of the South African Military Health Service | ||
|---|---|---|
| Surgeons General of the South African Medical Service Pre–1994 |   | |
| Surgeons General of the South African Military Health Service Post–1994 | ||
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