About us
When Discovery was established as a small specialist health insurer two decades ago, we made a clear and profound promise: to make people healthier. Driven by constant innovation over the years, we created a multifaceted, integrated financial services organisation and expanded our original promise to include enhancing and protecting lives. Throughout our constant innovation and ongoing growth, our founding ideal has remained unchanged – making people healthier and enhancing and protecting their lives has evolved into our core purpose that frames our ambition, strategy and business methodology.
Our core purpose is expressed in each of the health and financial products we offer to our nearly six million clients across four continents. Discovery’s products are focused on some of the most fundamental areas of people’s lives – their health and wellness and the financial security of their families. These are the critical areas where we aim to add significant value and make a real difference in the lives of our clients. We have through continuous innovation designed pioneering products and services that help our clients to improve their health and wellness, protect their financial future and enhance the quality of their lives. This client-centric approach lies at the heart of the way we do business and is the common thread running through all our products.
By using powerful financial and behavioural structures that meet people’s complex needs in sustainable ways, Discovery’s products and services have been created to deliver real value, protection and efficiency for our clients. This stimulates consumer demand for our products, which in turn leads to rapid organic growth and superior returns for our shareholders. Looking to the future, our goal is to be one of the best insurance organisations in the world, one that is renowned for excellence, innovation and financial strength.
What's happening at Discovery
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Discovery Jacaranda FM Spring Walk
Discovery and Jacaranda FM came together in 2012 to bring Pretoria its first and own walking event – the Discovery Jacaranda FM Spring Walk. The fun, family event took place on 15 September in Groenkloof. The walk had four distances between 5km and 20km, so families, friends and serious walkers could all enjoy the purple jacarandas, sunshine and living this year’s theme: it is lekker to be healthy.
From the buzz, the Discovery Jacaranda FM Spring Walk will be a new highlight on the Jacaranda City’s social calendar – another great stride towards the goal of a healthier society.
Discovery Algoa FM Big Walk
With the vision to make people healthier through physical activity, Discovery and Algoa FM hosted the second Discovery Algoa FM Big Walk on 27 October 2012. This year the walk took place at the NMMU Sports Grounds, with participants choosing a distance of 5km or 10km. Highlighting the benefits of an active lifestyle, walkers were also able do their part to give back to the community with proceeds of the event going to CANSA.
Discovery Cape Times Big Walk
Know the oldest sporting event in SA that’s still going strong today? It’s the Discovery Cape Times Big Walk, it’s coming up on 11 November 2012 and you can be there. Discovery is a proud co-sponsor of the walk, established in 1903. Starting with only 61 walkers back in the day, there are now more than 37 000 making a day of it. With fun walks over 20km, 15km, 13km, 12km, 10km and 5km, the whole family can turn out. For the more competitive, there are timed walks over 80km, 50km, 30km and 25km. Vitality members, earn 3 000 points for a fun walk and 5 000 for a timed walk. So, get your entries in and come feel full of life at the Discovery Cape Times Big Walk.
Discovery Walter Sisulu Soccer Challenge
December is soccer time. From 2 to 28 December, Discovery and the family of great freedom fighter Walter Sisulu are once again liberating future stars of South African soccer at the Discovery Walter Sisulu Soccer Challenge. So far, the annual tournament has seen the rise of professional players such as Kaizer Chiefs striker Siphiwe Tshabalala, Free State Stars and Bafana Bafana Striker Edward Mngele and current Bafana Bafana and Ajax Amsterdam midfielder, Thulani Serero. Make a date for the soccer festival of the year. It’s happening at the Nike Training Centre in Soweto where this beautiful game is encouraging more people to take part in sport for healthier lives.
Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge
Every year swimmers, paddlers, runners, cyclists and walkers come together in Plettenberg Bay for the Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge. This year, the main fundraising event of the Sabrina Love Foundation happens on 28 and 29 December. Choose your challenge from a 6km ocean or one-mile river swim, 15km ocean paddle, 10km run, a 25km mountain bike ride or 3km beach walk. There’s even a triathlon, now in its second year. Starting healthy habits young, the Sabrina Kids of Steel challenge has a 100m swim and 1km run to make for a lot of fun on the beach. Challenge yourself at the Sabrina Love Ocean Challenge – the perfect mix of active fun and supporting the care of children living with special needs. www.sabrinalove.co.za
Connecting people, ideas and communities
Discovery’s social investments and partnerships form part of our passion to be a force for social good in society. By investing in community healthcare projects and the training of healthcare professionals across South Africa, we are helping to build a healthier nation.
Over the past few months, we have spent time with some of these community projects and the individuals who work tirelessly every day to make a difference in the lives of others. We learnt of their stories – their personal journeys and what drives them to keep making a difference every day. Connect, our book about our involvement with the community, brings together these positive and inspirational stories. Read the book here:
Connect Introduction
Connect Creating synergy through collaboration
Connect Boosting human resource capacity within the healthcare sector
Connect Improving infrastructure development for better service delivery
Connect Addressing national priorities
Connect Claiming a stake in South Africa's future discovery volunteers
Connect Support for primary healthcare
Discovery Foundation MGH Fellowship Award
Discovery is committed to strengthening and improving the country’s healthcare system to provide more equitable, affordable healthcare to more South Africans, and to be a force for social good. One of the ways through which we achieve this is through the Discovery Foundation which invests in the education and training of medical specialists to ensure a sustainable number of healthcare professionals in the healthcare system, and encourage further research in academic medicine. This year, Discovery Foundation added a fifth, new award category, the Discovery Foundation MGH Fellowship Award, a partnership between Discovery Foundation and the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Center for Global Health.
A two-year fellowship, the award gives recipients the opportunity to be exposed to and conduct cutting edge medical research in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital, which has the largest hospital-based research programme in the US and offers world-leading programmes in hospital management and administration, as well as recognised PhD and post-PhD qualifications. The hospital is recognised as a global leader in clinical research. The inaugural award was awarded to Dr Neliswa Gogela, a senior registrar in hepatology at the University of Cape Town. Read more about Dr Gogela and the award in the brochure here.
Umthombo Youth Development Foundation
A new generation of healthcare specialists
Discovery and the Umthombo Youth Development Foundation are empowering youth from rural areas to pursue a qualification in healthcare and give back to their communities! Click here to watch Umthombo graduates share about their experience and the incredible impact it’s making in improving the country’s shortage of healthcare professionals
Discovery’s sponsorships
Our sponsorships support our core purpose of making people healthier and enhancing and protecting their lives. Find out more about our approach to sponsorships and who we sponsor.
Discovery in the community
We work every day to strengthen the healthcare system in South Africa and to expand access to care for all South Africans. Read about our numerous projects and initiatives to make people in the broader community healthier.