INTRODUCTION:
In 2020, South Africa, then the only African BRICS member, faced the coronavirus pandemic amid profound socioeconomic inequalities. The crisis accelerated adoption of digital technologies to enhance health surveillance, prevention/control, and clinical management¹. As part of a broader scoping review on digital health within BRICS economies², this study specifically examines South Africa’s experience in implementing digital health solutions to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

METHODS:
This study is based on a scoping review conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute framework³. Relevant documents and scientific articles published up to August 2022 were identified through MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and LILACS, as well as gray literature². Data were systematically extracted and synthesized, emphasizing findings related to South Africa, to describe the country’s main digital health solutions for combating COVID-19.

RESULTS:
Among the initial 8,551 documents, 481 were included, and 900 digital health solutions were identified across the BRICS countries, 52 attributed to South Africa². In South Africa, the main technological types included eHealth initiatives and big data applications, generally with national coverage and public funding. Most solutions were directed to data services for surveillance and to health care providers for clinical management. Notable examples include COVID Alert SA, a mobile self-reporting and contact tracing system⁴; FindMyJab, a platform designed to locate vaccination sites⁵; the Electronic Vaccination Data System, enabling national vaccine registration and monitoring⁶; and telemedicine platforms such as Hello Doctor⁷. Despite significant innovation, limited connectivity, privacy concerns, and unequal digital literacy constrained large-scale implementation and equitable access across regions⁴˒⁸.

CONCLUSIONS:
South Africa’s experience reveals both innovation and inequality in digital health during the coronavirus pandemic. Within the BRICS context, the country’s limited number of solutions highlights structural disparities. Its rapid adaptation offers lessons on digital readiness, collaboration, and South-South cooperation to strengthen equitable, sustainable health systems⁹,¹⁰.