Personal Health Pathways helps women take earlier preventive health action

Johannesburg, South Africa, 31 August 2026 – New Discovery Health data published as Women's Month ends shows that female Discovery Health Medical Scheme members are using Personal Health Pathways to act earlier on preventive health. More than 700,000 adult Scheme members have activated their Personal Health Pathway to date, with female members making up nearly six in every ten activations and completing the majority of key preventive health actions.

Since the launch of Personal Health Pathways in January 2025, female members have completed 1.5 times as many recommended health actions as male members. They also account for almost 60% of all Health Checks completed, as well as most mental wellbeing assessments, GP consultations, flu vaccinations and dental check-ups.

The data highlights how personalised digital support can help women act earlier on screening, mental wellbeing and essential healthcare needs.

Personal Health Pathways is Discovery Health's patented, AI-powered platform that gives every adult Scheme member personalised health guidance through the Discovery Health app, at no additional cost. It uses each member's health profile to recommend relevant health actions and set personalised exercise and sleep goals.

This engagement is visible across clinical care, healthy habits and mental wellbeing. Female members accounted for:

• 60% of all health actions completed over time (843,465 of the 1.4 million clinical health actions recorded)
• 53% of weekly exercise goals reached (4.7 million of 8.8 million weekly exercise goals).
• 59% of mental wellbeing assessments
• 73% of digital mental health channel engagement on the Discovery Health app
• 76% enrolment in the Scheme’s Depression Risk Management Programme (a six-month programme which supports members to reduce the risk of depression and enhance mental wellbeing)

"Preventive healthcare has long been central to Discovery Health's approach to supporting medical scheme members," says Dr Noluthando Nematswerani, Chief Clinical Officer at Discovery Health. "Personal Health Pathways gives Discovery Health Medical Scheme members precise and personalised support built on clinical data, behavioural science and digital technology."

Female members use the Personal Health Fund to support access to care
Members can earn up to R500 in their Personal Health Fund for each completed health action, providing additional funding for everyday and specialised care. During the period under review, female members used their Personal Health Fund to cover R250 million in pharmacy-related costs, R65 million in GP consultations, R61 million in clinical pathology, R39 million in dental care and R24 million in obstetrics and gynaecology services.

Members engaged in Personal Health Pathways are three times more likely to complete Health Checks and twice as likely to complete cancer screenings than members not engaged in the programme. To date, 23% of Health Checks have revealed out-of-range results requiring follow-up, while 1.3% of first-time cancer screenings have detected cancer.

The impact is clearest in member stories where recommended actions led to earlier diagnosis and treatment.
"Personal Health Pathways recommended I do a mammogram, a health check I hadn't seriously considered. That test found Stage 1 breast cancer, which I had no idea was there. My Pathway didn't just guide me, it likely saved my life." - 43-year-old Discovery Health Medical Scheme member

For another member, a cervical cancer screening recommendation helped detect an HPV infection before symptoms appeared.

"Without my Pathway, I wouldn't have had my routine cervical cancer screening, and the condition could have been much more serious by the time symptoms appeared." - 48-year-old Discovery Health Medical Scheme member

Personal Health Pathways and the Personal Health Fund support a stronger Prevention Dividend
The Prevention Dividend, introduced in Discovery Health's HealthTrend26 report, refers to the long-term gains from earlier intervention, earlier detection and sustained healthy behaviour. The report, based on more than 60 million life years of data, found that Discovery Health Medical Scheme members are living longer and in better health, with mortality down 5.6% over the past decade demonstrating a clear Prevention Dividend for members of the Scheme.

"These findings show the value of earlier diagnosis, stronger treatment pathways and focused support that helps members take control of their health," says Dr Nematswerani. "Personal Health Pathways translates this into practical guidance by directing each member to the right action at the right time. Together with the Personal Health Fund, it helps members turn preventive health insight into action and better health."