We are pleased to announce that Summit Private Equity Fund (SPEF I) has acquired a 51% shareholding in the Life Path Health Group.

This investment is in line with Summit Private Equity Fund’s Healthcare sector investment strategy of establishing trusted healthcare brand(s) that service South Africans, specifically in peri-urban, rural and township areas.

Life Path Health provides inpatient treatment to voluntary and assisted patients with mental health and addiction-related conditions in South Africa. Life Path Health distinguishes itself from its competitors by offering upmarket boutique-style hospitals with a homely environment to restore hope and heal the mind. The Group follows a multi-professional team approach to patient care, including psychiatrists, psychologists, occupational therapists, social workers, and 24-hour nursing. 

Life Path Health has 289 beds across eight healthcare facilities, seven being in the Western Cape and one in Gauteng. Each hospital is strategically placed for accessibility and convenience. The Group recently completed the construction of its 9th facility, a 36-bed hospital in Pietermaritzburg. It has also acquired Department of Health licenses for various new locations, focused on providing mental health and addiction services in the rural and underserved areas of Gauteng, Northwest, and KwaZulu Natal. 

Tomi Amosun, the Managing Partner of SPEF I, commented, “The Life Path Group’s services have had a profound impact on the lives of so many struggling with mental health and addiction. One in six South Africans suffers from anxiety, depression, or substance-use problems and many don’t have access to or are too scared to seek help. Through our investment, we hope to make mental healthcare easily accessible by bringing Life Path Health to the underserved areas in our country.”

Dr Karen Olckers, the Chief Operating Officer of Life Path Health, added, “Being able to choose happiness, laughter, peace, health and joy, and most of all, to live and to have a full life, are often a huge struggle or even impossible to many people out there. Mental health is a blessing, but struggling with mental illness is a hardship. At Life Path Health, we aim to support people, everyday people like you and me, to be able to choose life on their journey to good mental health. Mental health is not a destination but a process. To quote renowned psychologist Noan Shprancer, ‘It’s about how you drive, not where you are going.’”

Anton Rossouw, the CEO of Life Path Health, said, “Partnering with Summit was a natural fit, and we believe that both parties have a similar ethos and vision of the future for the provision of quality, accessible and affordable mental health care in this country. We are looking forward to this journey together.”