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Sizwe Hosmed Authorisation Contact Details
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The Sizwe Hosmed pre-authorisation contact number is 086 010 1176 and the email address is authorisations@sizwehosmed.co.za. Customer service is on 0860 100 871. We read these details on sizwehosmed.co.za on 24 September 2026.
Sizwe Hosmed pre-authorisation at a glance
| Pre-authorisation telephone | 086 010 1176 |
|---|---|
| Pre-authorisation email | authorisations@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| Customer service | 0860 100 871, queries@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| Medical emergencies and ambulance | 082 911 |
| Website | sizwehosmed.co.za |
The scheme asks for authorisation 72 hours before a planned procedure, and within 48 hours of an emergency procedure.
Missing that window has consequences the scheme states plainly: failure to get pre-authorisation may result in a co-payment or in the claim being rejected outright.
Hospital admission is not the only thing that needs authorisation. Certain other treatments do too, and Sizwe Hosmed tells members to check their plan and, if in doubt, to ask on the number or mailbox above.
What to have ready when you phone for authorisation
- The main member’s membership number.
- The patient or dependant code, name, ID number and date of birth.
- The doctor’s practice number and the anaesthetist’s practice number.
- The hospital name and its practice number.
- The date and the expected duration of the admission.
- The procedure codes and the ICD-10 codes.
The codes and the practice numbers are the part people do not have. Ask the treating doctor’s rooms for them before you phone, because the authorisation cannot be issued without them.
Why pre-authorisation exists
Pre-authorisation is the scheme agreeing in advance that a procedure is covered and at what level. Sizwe Hosmed describes the point of it as knowing what is covered, avoiding unexpected costs, and getting a smooth claim afterwards.
It is not the same as the scheme guaranteeing to pay the whole account. An authorisation covers the procedure as described, on the codes you supplied. If what happens in theatre differs materially, the hospital or the doctor must update the authorisation.
It is also not a clinical decision on your behalf. The scheme is confirming benefit cover, not approving or refusing treatment.
Emergency admissions and the 48-hour rule
Nobody expects authorisation before an emergency. The rule is that you, a family member or the hospital must notify the scheme within 48 hours of the emergency procedure.
In practice the hospital’s admissions office usually does this, but do not assume it. Confirm with them, and if there is any doubt phone 086 010 1176 yourself within the two days.
A weekend admission still counts. The 48 hours run from the procedure, not from the next working day.
Other Sizwe Hosmed numbers and mailboxes
| New claims | claims@sizwehosmed.co.za |
|---|---|
| Follow-up on a claim | queries@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| GP to specialist referral | primary.referrals@sizwehosmed.co.za, 0860 100 871 |
| Membership and membership cards | membership@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| Chronic disease application | 086 010 3455, chronic@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| Chronic disease list conditions | 086 010 3455, wellnessqueries@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| Oncology | 086 010 3454, oncology@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| Bambino maternity programme | 086 000 0048, bambino@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| HIV WellCare programme | wellcare1@sizwehosmed.co.za |
| Complaints | PO@sizwe-hosmed.co.za |
| Whistleblower line | 0800 212 150, sizwehosmed@whistleblowing.co.za |
Two things on that list catch people out. The complaints mailbox uses a hyphen in the domain, sizwe-hosmed.co.za, while every other address does not. And the authorisation, chronic, oncology and maternity numbers are four different 086 numbers that differ only in the last digits.
A defect worth knowing: on the scheme’s own contact page, the GP to specialist referral number is printed as 0860 100 87, one digit short. The full number is 0860 100 871, which the same page uses for customer service.
Programmes that manage their own authorisations
Sizwe Hosmed runs managed care programmes that handle their own approvals rather than going through the general authorisation line: back and neck, oncology, the Bambino maternity programme, disease risk management, mental health, the HIV WellCare programme and a diabetes programme.
If your treatment falls under one of those, use its own number from the table. Sending an oncology authorisation to the general mailbox adds a handover step.
Chronic medication is a separate process again, applied for through chronic@sizwehosmed.co.za rather than as a hospital authorisation.
Walk-in centres and emergencies
The scheme publishes a walk-in centre finder on its contact page, searchable by your location with a radius from 10 km to 500 km.
Walk-in centres are for membership and document matters. An urgent authorisation is faster on the telephone, because it has to be issued before the admission rather than after a queue.
For an emergency, 082 911 is the ambulance number the scheme publishes. It is not an authorisation line, and the 48-hour window for authorising an emergency admission starts afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Sizwe Hosmed pre-authorisation contact number?
Pre-authorisation is on 086 010 1176, and customer service is on 0860 100 871. Send the details to authorisations@sizwehosmed.co.za.
How far in advance must a Sizwe Hosmed hospital authorisation be arranged?
72 hours before a planned procedure, and within 48 hours of an emergency procedure. Missing the window may mean a co-payment or a rejected claim, so confirm the authorisation before the admission.
What information does Sizwe Hosmed need for an authorisation?
The membership number, the patient’s code, name, ID number and date of birth, the doctor’s and anaesthetist’s practice numbers, the hospital name and its practice number, the admission date and expected duration, and the procedure and ICD-10 codes. Ask the treating doctor’s rooms for the codes and practice numbers before you phone.
Does an emergency admission also need authorisation?
Not before the emergency, but the scheme must be notified within 48 hours of the emergency procedure, usually by the hospital’s admissions office. Confirm with them, and if there is any doubt phone 086 010 1176 within the two days.
Where is the Sizwe Hosmed complaints email?
Complaints go to PO@sizwe-hosmed.co.za, which uses a hyphen in the domain unlike every other Sizwe Hosmed address. The whistleblower line is 0800 212 150.
Sources
- Sizwe Hosmed Authorisations Procedure page, sizwehosmed.co.za/authorisations-procedure, the pre-authorisation number and mailbox, the 72-hour and 48-hour windows, the consequences of missing them and the information required (read 24 September 2026)
- Sizwe Hosmed Contact Us page, sizwehosmed.co.za/contact, the customer service, claims, referral, membership, programme, complaints and whistleblower channels and the walk-in centre finder (read 24 September 2026)