Getting healthcare in South Africa can often feel complicated, time-consuming and expensive. Dis-Chem is aiming to change that with the launch of its new Melrose Arch Health Hub, marking a significant step forward in its ambition to reduce the cost of healthcare, increase access and improve health outcomes for South Africans.

Located in Melrose Arch, the new Health Hub is more than just a store. It brings together a clinic, pharmacy and health cover services under one roof, creating a one-stop destination where customers can access care, advice and products in a single, seamless visit.

Instead of healthcare being an add-on to retail, the entire space has been designed around people’s health needs, from prevention and everyday wellness to treatment and ongoing care.

“South Africans have long had to navigate their healthcare alone, moving between disconnected providers and fragmented systems. This store is our answer to that. It is not enough to just stock health products. We want to actively deliver care. When healthcare, pharmacy, financial services and technology work together in one place, we can reach more people, at lower cost, and with better outcomes. That is the ambition, and this is where it starts,” says Dis-Chem CEO Rui Morais.

“The genesis of this store layout came from a simple but hugely important question: if we could reimagine the future of health retail without any constraints, what would that look like? We did not start with the floor plan of an existing store. We started from scratch, imagining the art of the possible. From there, we worked to bring that vision back to the reality of our customers, our staff and our brand. With this format, we are bringing together elements that have long been fragmented into one coherent system, making healthcare more accessible, more connected and easier to navigate. That is what Better Health Starts Here truly means in practice,” he says.

What customers can expect

At the heart of the store is the Hub, a central, full-service gateway positioned as the primary entry point into Dis-Chem’s healthcare system, where trained advisors help guide customers through their journey, whether they need to see a nurse, collect medication, explore health cover or simply need help navigating our retail offering to find the right products.

The pharmacy experience, a cornerstone of the model, has been redesigned to focus on efficiency and impactful engagement. Customers can submit prescriptions in multiple ways, avoid long queues thanks to a digital ticketing system, and spend more meaningful time with pharmacists when needed.

The in-store clinic has been upgraded to deliver a complete clinical experience, with nurse-led consultations, virtual GP access, and a fully equipped pre-assessment and diagnostic testing room staffed by a dedicated clinic care assistant. The clinic care assistant role, fulfilled by a qualified phlebotomist, reflects a deliberate choice to make clinical services feel welcoming and accessible without compromising on expertise. Centralised administration, managed through the Hub, removes the administrative burden from clinical staff and allows more time for patient care.

For those thinking about longer-term health planning, financial services are fully integrated into the experience, with dedicated financial advisors available in private consultation spaces that connect directly with both healthcare services and retail. This allows customers to engage with health cover, life insurance and funding solutions as part of a single, connected journey.

Designed around real life

The store has been built using customer insights and data to better understand how people navigate their health. The result is a more intuitive experience that combines in-person support with digital tools, alongside an enhanced app, that makes managing prescriptions and services easier.

Everything in the store has been intentionally redesigned through a healthcare-first lens, with product ranges curated to support prevention, treatment and long-term wellbeing. A dedicated health experiential zone deepens this further, designed not as a standalone feature but as an extension of the full healthcare journey. Retail is positioned not as a separate function, but as a direct enabler of better health outcomes.

The employee experience has also been reimagined. Recognising and continuing to elevate employees as priority customers, the store includes a dedicated, multi-functional space designed to support training, collaboration and wellbeing, enabling teams to deliver better service in a more supportive and connected environment.

A new approach to everyday healthcare

The Melrose Arch Health Hub is the first of its kind for Dis-Chem and forms part of a broader plan to roll out this model across the Dis-Chem footprint, ensuring that healthcare delivery, operational efficiency and customer experience can be consistently integrated at every touchpoint.

“Our goal is simple,” adds Morais. “To make healthcare easier to access, easier to understand and ultimately more effective for more South Africans, bringing Dis-Chem closer to its ambition of becoming South Africa’s most accessible and trusted healthcare partner.”

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