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.
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.[1] [2]
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.[3]
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 brigadehad 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 (numbered81, 82, 83 and 84 respectively).
The SAMS was established in July 1979 as a service branch of the SADF.[4] 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.[5] 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.