Insurance & Medical Aid · Contact details
GEMS Contact Details
The GEMS contact number is 0800 00 4367, the Government Employees Medical Scheme call centre, open Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:00 and Saturday 08:00 to 12:00. The 24-hour GEMS emergency number is 080 044 4367, and healthcare providers call 086 043 6777. The GEMS email address for general enquiries and claims is enquiries@gems.gov.za. Every detail below was read from the GEMS Contact Us page, Claims Guide and FAQs on gems.gov.za on 14 September 2026.
Official contact details
| What you need | Contact | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Member call centre | 0800 00 4367 | Mon to Fri 08:00 to 17:00; Sat 08:00 to 12:00 |
| Emergency number | 080 044 4367 | 24 hours, 7 days |
| Healthcare providers | 086 043 6777 | Mon to Fri 09:00 to 16:00; Sat 08:00 to 12:00 |
| General enquiries email | enquiries@gems.gov.za | Any time |
| General enquiries fax | 086 100 4367 | |
| Chronic medicine applications and prescriptions | chronicdsp@gems.gov.za | |
| Confidential fraud hotline | 080 021 2202, gems@thehotline.co.za | Mon to Fri 09:00 to 16:00 |
| Confidential HIV/AIDS line | 086 043 6736 | |
| ICT service desk (website and portal problems) | 012 366 4618, ICTServicedesk@gems.gov.za | |
| Media enquiries | media@gems.gov.za | |
| Postal address | Private Bag X782, Cape Town, 8000 |
The digits 4367 spell GEMS on a phone keypad, so several GEMS numbers end the same way. Check the start of the number: 0800 00 4367 is the call centre and 080 044 4367 is the emergency line. GEMS’s Claims Guide and FAQs also quote the call centre as 0860 00 4367 and the fax as 0861 00 4367.
GEMS email address for claims
GEMS’s Claims Guide says you can submit claims by email to enquiries@gems.gov.za, by fax to 0861 00 4367, by post to GEMS, Private Bag X782, Cape Town, 8000, or by dropping them off at a GEMS walk-in centre. For a refund, include proof of payment, such as a stamped receipt from the provider, an EFT slip or a bank deposit slip. Claims must reach GEMS within four months, or the member becomes liable for them. If a claim is returned for correction, it must be resubmitted within 60 days. To find out why a claim was rejected, call 0860 00 4367.
GEMS hospital authorisation and chronic medicine
- Hospital stays: if you need to stay in hospital longer than approved, GEMS asks that your doctor, the hospital case manager or a family member tell GEMS on 0860 00 4367.
- Chronic medicine: send the completed Chronic Medicine Application Form or prescription to chronicdsp@gems.gov.za or fax 0861 00 4367. Doctors can call 0860 436 777 about chronic medicine appeals.
- Declined pre-authorisation appeals: lodge the appeal at enquiries@gems.gov.za; GEMS says a decision can take up to five working days.
GEMS contact number for service providers
Doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers use 086 043 6777, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 16:00 and Saturday 08:00 to 12:00, and the provider portal at hcp.gems.gov.za. GEMS also publishes its network hospital list, designated service providers, formulary lists, tariff files and ICD10 codes for providers on gems.gov.za.
GEMS banking details for refunds
GEMS pays refunds electronically to the main member, so it needs your correct banking details: account holder’s full name, account number, bank name, branch code and account type. To change your banking details, send a certified copy of your ID, a bank statement or account confirmation letter, and a proof of address not older than three months, by email to enquiries@gems.gov.za (with your membership number as the reference), by fax to 0861 00 4367, by post, or at a walk-in centre.
GEMS walk-in centres
| Centre | Address |
|---|---|
| Bloemfontein (Bloem Plaza) | Shop 124, corner Charlotte Maxeke and East Burger Street, Bloemfontein, Free State |
| Cape Town (Constitution House) | Shop 1, corner Church and Adderley Street, Cape Town, Western Cape |
| Durban (The Berea Centre) | Shop 33, Berea Centre, Entrance 1, 249 King Dinuzulu Road, Bulwer, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal |
| East London (Gillwell Shopping Centre) | Shop LG36, Lower Level, corner Gillwell Road and Fleet Street, Eastern Cape |
| Johannesburg (Traduna House) | Ground Floor, 118 Jorissen Street, corner Jorissen and Civic, Braamfontein, Gauteng |
| Kimberley (New Park Centre) | Shop 14 and 26, 1-17 Long Street, Kimberley, Northern Cape |
| Klerksdorp (City Mall) | Shop 101, corner OR Tambo and Neser Street, Klerksdorp, North West |
| Mmabatho (Megacity) | Shop 39, Mmabatho Megacity Shopping Centre, corner Sekame and Dr James Moroka Street, North West |
| Mthatha (Savoy Complex) | Unit 10/11/12A, Savoy Complex, Nelson Mandela Drive, Mthatha, Eastern Cape |
| Nelspruit (Nedbank Centre) | 30 Brown Street, Nelspruit CBD, Mpumalanga |
| Pietermaritzburg | 39/45 Chief Albert Luthuli Street, Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal |
| Polokwane (Dada Square) | Shop 1, Dada Square, 52 Market Street, Polokwane, Limpopo |
| Pretoria (Sancardia Building) | Level 3, Shop 51 and 52, 541 Madiba Street, Arcadia, Pretoria, Gauteng |
| Thohoyandou | Unit G3, Metropolitan Centre, Thohoyandou, 0950 |
| Upington | 61A Market Street, Upington, Northern Cape |
| Welkom (Gold Fields Mall) | Shop 051, corner Stateway and Buiten Street, Welkom, Free State |
| Witbank (Saveways Crescent Centre) | Shop No 7, Saveways Crescent Centre, Witbank, Mpumalanga |
| Worcester (Q Squared Shopping Centre) | 29 Baring Street, Worcester, Western Cape |
GEMS’s contact page does not list opening hours or phone numbers for individual walk-in centres, including Nelspruit, Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Call 0800 00 4367 before you visit.
Sources
- GEMS Contact Us page and walk-in centre list, gems.gov.za/Information/Contact-Us, read 14 September 2026
- GEMS Claims Guide and member FAQs, gems.gov.za, read 14 September 2026