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Vital Health Package · the general check-up
thirteen tests, one clear picture
The general check-up. Blood sugar, cholesterol, kidneys, liver, thyroid, iron, the two vitamins most often low, and a full blood count, with a 24-page plain-language report and a free results consultation.
Basically
- Thirteen tests across blood sugar, cholesterol, kidneys, liver, thyroid, iron, vitamins B12 and D3 and a full blood count, for R3,200.
- You get two reports: the standard lab report for your doctor, and a 24-page Functional Health Report written for you.
- A results consultation with a specialist is included free. They explain, they don't diagnose or prescribe.
- Fast for 8 to 12 hours, water only. Walk into any branch, no appointment and no doctor's referral.
- Results in 2 to 5 working days, emailed to you and to nobody else.
What the Vital Health Package checks
Thirteen tests across the systems that go wrong quietly: blood sugar, cholesterol, kidneys, liver, thyroid, iron, the two vitamins most often low, and a full blood count. Several of the thirteen are panels in their own right, so the report you get back covers a lot more than thirteen numbers.
Blood sugar
- Fasting glucose
- Your blood sugar after an overnight fast. The first screen for diabetes and prediabetes risk.
- HbA1c
- Your average blood sugar over roughly the past 2 to 3 months, so a single good or bad day can't hide it.
Cholesterol and heart
- Lipogram
- Total cholesterol, LDL, HDL and triglycerides, the four numbers behind heart and artery risk.
- CRP
- A general marker of inflammation anywhere in the body.
Kidneys and salts
- U&E and electrolytes
- Urea and creatinine for kidney function, plus sodium and potassium, the salts that keep fluid balance, nerves and muscles working.
Liver
- Liver function panel
- The enzymes and proteins that show how the liver is coping with alcohol, medication, weight and fat.
Thyroid
- TSH
- The signal from the brain that sets the thyroid's pace. The most sensitive first check.
- Free T4
- The thyroid hormone itself. Together with TSH it covers energy, weight, mood and temperature regulation.
Iron and blood count
- Ferritin
- Stored iron. The earliest sign of iron running low, well before anaemia shows.
- Full blood count
- Red cells for anaemia, white cells for infection and immunity, platelets for clotting. One test, more than ten values.
Vitamins and tissue
- Vitamin B12
- Nerves, energy and red cell production. Often low in vegetarians, vegans, and people on some stomach and diabetes medications.
- Vitamin D3
- Bone, muscle and immunity. Commonly low even in a sunny country, because most of us live indoors.
- LDH
- An enzyme released when cells are under stress or damaged. A broad early signal rather than a specific one.
What it doesn't include, so you can choose with your eyes open: sex hormones, cortisol, fasting insulin and the minerals. Those are in the Max Health Package. If you have a specific symptom rather than a general question, a focused panel is often the better buy; WhatsApp us and we'll say which.
Who it's for
Anyone who wants a proper baseline without a specific complaint. It's the package we suggest when someone asks for “a general check-up”, and it's the right starting point if you haven't had bloods done in a few years, if there's diabetes, heart disease or thyroid trouble in your family, or if you're tired and can't say why.
It's also a clean answer to a question we hear a lot: “I want hormones, metabolic, cholesterol and a blood count in one go.” One panel does that. Stacking separate packages double-covers markers and costs more.
Vital, Max or Ultimate
The three health-check packages differ in one way only: how much they look at. All three come with the same two reports and the same free results consultation.
Two reports, not one
The standard pathology report
Every result against the laboratory's reference range, in the format any doctor in South Africa expects. Take it to your GP as it is.
The Functional Health Report
A 24-page plain-language report that explains each marker, groups them by body system, and compares each one against evidence-based optimal ranges as well as the standard range.
Your results are analysed using the Optimal DX platform, a functional blood chemistry tool used by practitioners in 84 countries. Optimal ranges are narrower than laboratory ranges, so a result inside “normal” can still sit outside “optimal”. It's an educational tool: it doesn't diagnose and it doesn't replace your doctor's judgement.
Both reports are emailed to you, encrypted, in 2 to 5 working days. To you only, not to a medical aid or an employer.
A free results consultation is included
Because the Vital is over R1,500, your results consultation is free. A results specialist walks you through the Functional Health Report marker by marker and helps you build a practical plan: nutrition, movement, sleep, when to retest.
Two things to know. The specialist explains and guides; they don't diagnose, prescribe or treat, and where something needs a doctor, they'll say so and point you to one. And the session is arranged by the specialist once your results are in, so there's nothing to book now.
How to prepare
- Fast for 8 to 12 hours. Water only. The glucose and cholesterol tests move after you eat, so a fasting sample is the one that means something. Most people book a morning slot and have breakfast afterwards.
- Go easy the day before. Limit alcohol and caffeine the day before and on the day.
- Drink water. Before and on the day. It makes the draw easier and the sample better.
- Keep taking regular medication unless your own doctor has told you otherwise. Tell the nurse what you take.
- Walk in. No appointment and no doctor's referral. The visit takes about 15 minutes. You pay at the desk.
Cost and medical aid
The Vital Health Package is R3,200, including both reports and the results consultation. No consultation fee, no doctor's referral.
Medical aid: a preventative or chronic blood panel is the kind of test schemes do tend to pay for, but it depends on your plan and it usually needs a doctor's referral with an ICD-10 code. We give you a tax invoice with the codes and our practice number, and you submit the claim yourself. Check with your scheme before you assume.
Where to test
Walk into any of our three branches, Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:00. Come fasted. There's no home kit for this package because it needs a blood draw.
Cape Town
24 Lower Main Road, Observatory, 7925
Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:00
Durban
2 Knelsby Avenue, Hillcrest, 3650
Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:00
Johannesburg
02 7th Avenue, Parktown North
Monday to Friday, 08:30 to 16:00
All three branches are closed on South African public holidays.
Common questions
Do I need a doctor's referral for the Vital Health Package?
No. Walk in and pay at the desk. You'd only need a referral if you want to claim from medical aid, and then it's your scheme that needs it, not us.
Do I have to fast?
Yes, 8 to 12 hours, water only. The package includes fasting glucose and a lipogram, and both move after eating. Most people book a morning slot and eat afterwards.
How long do results take?
2 to 5 working days. Both reports are emailed to you, encrypted, to the address you register with.
What's the difference between the Vital and the Max?
The Max adds hormones (cortisol, oestrogen, testosterone), fasting insulin, free T3, the minerals (calcium, magnesium, phosphate), uric acid, homocysteine and iron, for R5,231. If your question is about energy, hormones or weight, the Max answers more of it. If you want a solid general baseline, the Vital does the job.
Is the results consultation really free?
Yes, with any Epicentre functional health test of R1,500 or more, which includes this one. The specialist arranges it with you once your results are in. They explain the report and help with a lifestyle plan; they don't diagnose, prescribe or treat.
Can I claim it from medical aid?
Often, but not automatically. Preventative and chronic blood panels are the kind of test schemes pay for, usually with a doctor's referral and an ICD-10 code. We give you a tax invoice with the codes and our HPCSA practice number; you submit it. Check your plan first.
Can I do this as a home kit?
No. It needs a blood draw, which has to be done by a nurse at a branch. Home kits are for swab and urine tests only.
How often should I do it?
Once a year is a sensible rhythm for a baseline, or sooner if something changes. The results consultation will suggest a retest interval based on what your report shows.
Why people trust us with this
Ready to book
No appointment and no doctor's referral. Fast from the night before, walk into any branch in the morning, and have breakfast afterwards.
Not ready yet
That is normal, and there is no rush. Take the prices away with you, or ask us something without booking anything.
Other infections in this guide
Important. Epicentre Walk-In Labs is a diagnostic laboratory operated by Epicentre Aids Risk Management (Pty) Ltd. We collect samples, run tests and report results. We do not diagnose conditions, prescribe medication or provide treatment, and nothing on this page is medical advice. Results are released to the person tested. If you have symptoms that worry you, or think you may need urgent care after an exposure, see a doctor or clinic without waiting for a test result.