SOSA Medical has long been a lifeline for community members who cannot afford essential medical care. But behind the scenes, the organisation—driven by the compassion and determination of its founder, Rabbi Shaun Wingrin—has been quietly expanding its services to meet the growing crisis in public healthcare. Today, SOSA doesn’t just offer support; it delivers dignity, comfort, and real solutions for those who would otherwise be left without hope.

While SOSA currently assists over 100 Jewish families with medical aid, the organisation recently discovered a deeply troubling reality: many critical medications needed by patients in State hospitals simply do not exist in the public system. Rabbi Wingrin experienced this firsthand during his own recent treatment. “My specialist, who also works at a State hospital, told me that the most important medication I take is generally not available in the public sector,” he says. “When I began researching this, I found that 50% of oncology drugs are not accessible to State patients.”

Realising the seriousness of this gap, SOSA immediately launched a dedicated medications fund to ensure Jewish patients in State hospitals receive the treatments necessary for their recovery and survival.

But another heart-wrenching situation revealed yet another need. Families often cannot reach their loved ones in public hospitals—or get any information at all. “We cared for an elderly woman who broke her hip,” Rabbi Wingrin recalls. “Surgery within the first 24 hours gives patients the best chance of recovery. But she waited over four weeks, bedridden, across several government facilities. After surgery, she was discharged, unable to reach the bathroom on her own.”

To ensure no one endures such neglect again, SOSA created a nursing team specifically tasked with visiting hospitalised patients, advocating for their care, checking on their wellbeing, and keeping families informed. This simple intervention has already proven life-changing.

Yet, as Rabbi Wingrin emphasises, the most powerful protection anyone can have is a basic hospital plan. “Many people feel they can’t afford it,” he explains, “but the reality is—they also can’t afford not to have one.”

He recounts the painful experience of a man in his forties suffering from psychiatric illness. Although he had basic cover through SOSA, his care team didn’t know, and he was taken to a State hospital by mistake. “He waited in casualty for over 24 hours with no food, first in a chair and later tied to a bed. He spent 48 hours in isolation. It was traumatic.” Once SOSA intervened, he was transferred to a private psychiatric hospital and received 21 days of quality care—fully funded by his basic plan. “Every member of our community deserves that level of dignity,” Rabbi Wingrin says.

SOSA is now preparing to launch its next initiative: a fresh, nutritious kosher meal service for private hospitals, developed with professional nutritionists and designed to deliver meals within an hour of ordering.

SOSA’s annual fundraiser launches on 23 November, with a goal of R3.3 million for life-saving care. Every donation will be matched, doubling its impact. Section 18A Tax deductible donations.

Together, we can ensure that no one in our community faces illness without support, care, and hope.