In March 2020, as COVID-19 took hold in South Africa, the National Department of Health (NDoH), in partnership with Reach Digital Health (then Praekelt.org) and the Turn.io platform, launched Contact NDoH — a WhatsApp service designed to deliver accurate, trusted and timeous information directly into people’s hands.

One of the service’s most valued features during the height of the pandemic was the delivery of daily situation reports. South Africans turned to the chatbot every day to check case numbers and the latest official updates — a reflection of just how urgently people needed reliable information to navigate the crisis.

Beyond this, the service helped millions of South Africans with up-to-date guidance in multiple languages. Tools such as HealthCheck enabled citizens to privately assess their COVID-19 risk, while vaccine registration became a vital part of the national rollout in 2021.

As the health landscape evolved, so did Contact NDoH. Today, the service continues to connect citizens with the latest health information and alerts, amplifying the Department of Health’s official messaging at scale.

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Contact NDOH is accessible to all South Africans who are on WhatsApp via 0600 123456. It is not condition specific, and can adapt to meet emerging health information needs.

Contact NDoH – What the service offers

Staying informed

• Bi-weekly alerts sent to more than half a million subscribers, covering urgent health updates, national campaigns and seasonal health risks.
  
• Latest news, official statements and outbreak information shared directly from NDoH.
  
• Important alerts sent to over a million users, with the ability to target messaging by region when needed (e.g. localised outbreaks).
  

Health content

• Browsable information on key health topics via WhatsApp, including:
  
  • COVID-19 guidance
    
  • Tuberculosis (TB)
    
  • Measles
    
    
• Evergreen and campaign-based content aligned with South Africa’s health priorities.
  

Past services

• Over the years, Contact NDoH has adapted to changing needs, previously offering:
  
  • Vaccine registration
    
  • Infectious Disease Risk Screening tools developed for Covid-19 and later, TB
    
  • Health disinformation reporting
    

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Results

Since its launch, Contact NDoH has:

• Reached 15,6 million+ South Africans on WhatsApp.
  
  
• Attracted 240,816 new users since Jan 2024, with 73% of monthly users being new — showing sustained demand and engagement.
  
  
• Sent bi-weekly alerts to an average of 571,377 users, with high readership and relevance.
  
  
• Supported public health campaigns by amplifying official messaging on issues such as HIV, TB, measles, HPV, cholera, maternal health, and seasonal risks.
  
  
• Driven increased sign-ups to complementary NDoH services such as B-Wise and MomConnect through targeted cross-promotion in alerts.

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Looking forward

Contact NDoH continues to adapt to the country’s shifting health priorities. Future opportunities include:

• Increasing the frequency of alerts to meet user demand for weekly updates.
  
  
• Expanding content to cover new topics like nutrition, exercise and wellness in a challenge format.
  
  
• Targeting alerts by province or user profile to improve relevance and engagement.
  
  
• Exploring the reintroduction of screening tools (e.g. TB or nutrition checks) to offer interactive support alongside information.
  
  

All of these opportunities are closely aligned with Reach’s priorities of personalisation, scale and engagement — ensuring Contact NDoH continues to deliver trusted health information in ways that are timely, relevant and impactful.

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