Carenet Health and Response Open New Durban Facility Built for Complex Healthcare Engagement

The purpose-built Umhlanga Ridge location adds capacity for approximately 2,400 employees and strengthens South Africa's role in the companies' global delivery network.

DURBAN, South Africa--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Carenet Health and Response have opened a new healthcare consumer engagement operations center in Durban's Umhlanga Ridge precinct, marking the milestone with a private ribbon-cutting celebration on Sept. 2.

The new facility spans approximately 12,000 square meters across five levels and can accommodate approximately 2,400 employees in dedicated contact center, training, recruitment, quality assurance and office environments. It was designed for programs involving protected health information and other complex patient and member interactions, with HIPAA, PCI DSS, and SOC 2 requirements in mind. Secure operating zones and dedicated training and quality assurance spaces allow areas to be configured for the needs of individual client programs.

“Healthcare organizations need delivery models that allow them to scale efficiently and continuously improve healthcare consumer experiences without compromising operational discipline,” said Christopher Rogers, President of Carenet. “South Africa gives Carenet and Response clients a powerful option for quality-first right-shoring. We’re proud to invest in the Durban community and our incredible workforce here.”

Response became part of Carenet in April 2026, bringing together Response's established Durban operations with Carenet's healthcare expertise, clinical capabilities, advanced technology, and broader global delivery network. The combination gives payer, provider, and healthcare services clients expanded capacity, pricing flexibility, and 24/7 service options from facilities spanning the U.S., Latin America, the Caribbean, the Philippines, and South Africa.

Response's operations are now concentrated in the Umhlanga Ridge precinct across two locations – together home to more than 2,500 advisors with plenty of room to grow. The footprint allows common leadership, training, operational, and cultural practices across both sites. The new facility is custom-built for complex, segmented programs that benefit from dedicated client areas, healthcare-specific infrastructure, and expanded training and quality assurance capacity. The nearby Meridian Drive office concentrates on fast-paced and seasonal programs where speed to scale and cost-to-serve are key considerations.

Features of the new building include multiple training rooms, more than 50 meeting rooms and managerial offices, multi-story parking, a 24/7 food court and convenience store, standby generator capacity, and a rooftop terrace with a panoramic view of Umhlanga.

The space is also designed to accelerate hiring in KwaZulu-Natal. A dedicated recruitment hub sits separate from the production floors, with AI talent-scouting stations, interview rooms, and induction space for 75 people at a time. Response recruits advisors with a high-school degree or higher and a minimum of one to two years of contact center experience, and the added capacity is intended to widen that pipeline as client programs scale into the new site.

Omnichannel services delivered from South Africa on behalf of clients include customer service and concierge support, inbound and outbound voice, chat, text, email and app support, appointment scheduling, member onboarding, back-office and data processing, revenue cycle support, telehealth coordination, and more.

About Carenet Health

Carenet Health is the leading healthcare orchestration partner for America’s payers, providers, and health technology and services companies. By combining advanced technology, insights, clinical expertise, and global operational excellence, Carenet helps organizations engage healthcare consumers across the care journey while driving growth and improving performance. Since 2004, the company has supported more than 400 healthcare clients through a global delivery of 6,000+ healthcare professionals.

Response is a South Africa–based healthcare BPO, and part of Carenet since 2026. Founded by Jiri van Hintum, Response operates from established facilities in South Africa, delivering native-English, healthcare-trained support for U.S. payers and providers with the empathy, compliance fluency, and quality U.S. healthcare demands.