2026 CMS Member Awareness Survey Results

Every year, the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) conducts an Awareness Survey to measure public awareness and understanding of the organisation and its mandate. The survey also helps the CMS evaluate the effectiveness of its communication and consumer education initiatives, allowing us to improve how we engage with the public.

This year’s survey, conducted during the first quarter of 2026, received 20 762 responses from medical scheme members and other stakeholders.

Since introducing the shopping voucher giveaway incentive, the survey has also created valuable opportunities for the CMS to engage directly with medical scheme members. This year, the Chief Executive and Registrar, Dr Musa Gumede, and Executive: Corporate Services, Mr Zongezile Baloyi, had the pleasure of welcoming some of the winners to the CMS offices to collect their vouchers, providing the CMS an opportunity to connect with the very people it serves.

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Here are some of the key highlights from the survey:

• Responses were received from all nine provinces, with the highest participation coming from Gauteng, the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.
• Awareness of the CMS among respondents was 73.6%, up from 69.9% the previous year.
• The main ways people learnt about the CMS was through their medical schemes (34.6%), followed by their employers (23.1%).
• Email (91.99%) was the preferred channel for receiving information from the CMS.

These results are encouraging and reinforce the value of our communication, consumer education and stakeholder engagement initiatives. As the CMS continues to strengthen its role as a trusted source of information on the medical schemes industry, medical scheme members are encourage to stay connected with us and continue sharing feedback.

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About these figures

Responses – The 20 762 figure is the number of completed survey submissions received, not a random sample of members; it reflects those who chose to take part.
Awareness among respondents – The share of respondents who said they knew of the CMS. Because taking part is voluntary and incentivised, respondents may not represent all medical scheme members, so the figure is best read as awareness among those who responded, rather than among all members.
Internal target – The 65% is a benchmark the CMS sets for itself each year: a self-set goal rather than a regulatory or legal requirement.

Thank you for sharing your views and helping us build a more informed healthcare community.