Share

Private health sector only serves 17% of SA

Cape Town - There has been significant improvement in South Africa’s health indices in the democratic era, but the challenge of improving the health status of the population as a whole remains, Professor Yosuf Veriava, chair of the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), said on Tuesday.

In his chairperson's report released at the announcement of the CMS' annual results, Veriava pointed out that the South African healthcare delivery system had two functionally separate and distinct components – the public sector component, which served 83% of the population and the private sector component, which was better-resourced, but only served 17% of the population.

"The mismatch of resources in the public and private health sectors and inefficiencies in the use of available resources have, to some extent, contributed to the poor health status of South Africans," said Veriava.  

Veriava said both the public and private health care systems were predominantly involved in the provision of curative services, but cautioned that the provision of curative services alone cannot improve the health of a population.

“Although curative services are important, preventive interventions and primary healthcare require significantly more attention,” he said.

According to Daniel Lehutjo, acting chief executive and registrar of the CMS, the minister of health has tasked the council with establishing a central beneficiary registry containing the records of all funded patients in South Africa.

This would further enhance the efforts of the Department of Health in resource planning for an inclusive healthcare system for South Africa.

The aim is to have the beneficiary registry developed by the end of the 2015/2016 financial year.

The 83 medical schemes currently registered with the CMS had a combined total of 8.8 million members in December 2014, comprising 3 921 232 main members and 4 893 226 dependents.

The council said it supported the national health department in the development of an alternative mechanism for the determination of private healthcare prices.

The ongoing market inquiry by the Competition Commission will also potentially provide insight into some of the structural challenges faced by the industry.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
19.05
-0.7%
Rand - Pound
23.98
-0.3%
Rand - Euro
20.55
-0.4%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.36
-0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.7%
Platinum
894.10
-0.3%
Palladium
996.00
-0.6%
Gold
2,193.32
-0.1%
Silver
24.41
-1.0%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
67,889
+0.3%
All Share
74,074
+0.2%
Resource 10
56,132
+0.9%
Industrial 25
103,554
+0.3%
Financial 15
16,492
-0.2%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders