Prof. Yvonne Paul
Introduction
Biokinetics represents a uniquely South African healthcare profession that has operated exclusively within the private healthcare sector since its establishment in 1983. The profession is limited only to the pathogenic and fortogenic health models, but only within the private health sector in South Africa. With the occurrence of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) increasing in the population, and the public health service being overwhelmed in the country, integrating biokinetics within the public sector is a primary health imperative in helping to alleviate the public health burden due to NCDs.
Understanding Biokinetics
The definition of the term biokinetics comes from the Greek words “BIOS” (life) and “KINESIS” (movement), meaning “”LIFE THROUGH MOVEMENT.” Biokinetics is a specialised field of healthcare that focuses on improving physical functioning and health through scientifically-based exercise programmes. Biokineticists are skilled health practitioners associated with physical health and public medicine who are registered members of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA).
The key focus areas of biokineticists are rehabilitation after injury or surgery,chronic disease management, health promotion and injury prevention, improving athletic performance and physical conditioning. The scope of practice also covers the entire physical and physiological assessment, exercise prescription, and end-phase physical therapy. The rehabilitation approach is end-phase-driven based on the concept “Exercise is Medicine”.
The Public Healthcare Challenge
South Africa’s public healthcare system faces unprecedented challenges. The country is dealing with a quadruple burden of, perinatal , maternal, communicable and non-communicable diseases that are gaining ascendancy in the poorer communities, especially in urban areas. These disease burdens are causing immense damage to the infrastructural facilities of health and manpower in SA.
Integrating qualified professionals (e.g., biokineticists) within the public health system will provide the necessary medical care to patients and alleviate the pressure already experienced within the strained public health sector. The present confinement of biokinetics within the private health sector results in a major gap in preventative and rehabilitative healthcare for most of the people in South Africa, for whom the public health sector is the only viable means of healthcare.
Current Status and Limitations
South African biokineticists specialising in exercise therapy and rehabilitation have repeatedly demonstrated their worth. Yet they remain locked out of the country’s public healthcare system, a decision that is costing both lives and money, as lifestyle diseases continue to surge across the nation.
While the numbers of biokineticists have grown steadily over the past twenty years, they can only work in private practice. This means that millions of South Africans who rely on public hospitals and clinics, and most in need simply cannot access their services
It is a frustrating paradox: at a time when conditions like diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are becoming epidemic, the healthcare system is turning its back on professionals who could help tackle these problems affordably and effectively.
This is not just a policy oversight; but also a missed opportunity that is leaving countless of South Africans without the specialised care that could transform their health outcomes.
The Case for Public Sector Integration
The addition of biokinetics into the public healthcare service provides the following positives:
Prevention and Early Intervention: Biokinetics facilities strongly support preventative healthcare and early intervention that decrease the strain on clinics and healthcare centres in the long-term. The early detection and management of the progression of risk factors for NCDs to avoid reaching the disease end-stage is achieved by using exercise programmes that are designed to address the interdisciplinary and wholistic model to disease management.
Cost-Effective Healthcare Provision: Exercise therapies are less costly in terms of input than the pharmacological or surgical approach and, thus, are appropriate for low-resource public health settings.
Meeting the Need for the Healthcare Professional Workforce: Trained and qualified biokineticists are qualified to work in urban and rural settings in the public and private sectors. The versatility could also be used to meet the need for the healthcare professional workforce, for instance, in the underserved and impoverished communities of South Africa.
Evidence-Based Practice: The profession has gained an enormous evidence-base that proves effective for the scope of clinical conditions, from orthopaedic to chronic diseases. The scientific evidence for the same makes the case for official inclusion in the public healthcare delivery system irrefutable.
Current Developments and Future Prospects
Negotiations are ongoing for biokineticists to enter the public healthcare space. These talks are an indication of the value that the profession can bring to resolving the health problems of South Africa.
The introduction of biokinetics within the public health sector will also necessitate the introduction of several focal areas, such as interdisciplinary healthcare practice, feasible funding mechanisms, innovative service models, and integration within the mainstream health system. The status of the profession of biokinetics within the HPCSA is a suitable platform for statutory recognition within the public health framework.
Conclusion
Incorporating biokinetics within the public health service in South Africa provides a significant opportunity for improved service delivery, improved health outcomes, and appropriate methods of addressing the rising NCD crisis in the country. With exercise medicine and preventative healthcare assuming increased emphasis in healthcare systems throughout the world, the profession of biokinetics puts the nation in the driving seat for this definitive shift in healthcare.
Health policy planners, health managers, and healthcare practitioners together with training institutions must collaborate in reversing these logistical constraints and realise the potential that biokinetics can offer to all citizens of the Republic of South Africa, and not only those for whom private health care is affordable.
Successful integration and interdisciplinary healthcare in the days to come will need responsible planning, innovative budgeting for resources, and coordination from all relevant stakeholders, so that the value of service delivery is achieved for the majority of South Africans.
References
- Biokinetics Association of South Africa. (2024). Public Information. Retrieved from https://biokineticssa.org.za/public-information/
- Coetzee, D., et al. (2021). The Profession of Biokinetics in South Africa: The Need for Access to the Public Healthcare System. IntechOpen. Retrieved from https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/76728
- Mayosi, B. M., et al. (2009). The burden of non-communicable diseases in South Africa. The Lancet, 374(9693), 934-947.
- SSISA. (2025). The role of a Biokineticist. Retrieved from https://www.ssisa.com/ssisa-pulse/the-role-of-a-biokineticist
- University of Johannesburg. (2025). Bachelor of Biokinetics. Retrieved from https://www.uj.ac.za/university-courses/bachelor-of-biokinetics/
- Van Niekerk, M., et al. (2024). Strengthening the biokinetics workforce for improved services: A human resources for health review from 2000 to 2020. PMC. Retrieved from https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10798608/
- Wits University. Biokinetics Program Information. Retrieved from https://www.wits.ac.za/course-finder/undergraduate/health/biokinetics/
Last Updated on 9 September 2025 by HPCSA Corporate Affairs