SA move to regulate private health sector slammed

The Hospital Association says the private health sector is one of the most regulated sectors in SA

The hospital association of South Africa has slammed an announcement by the health minister, that draft legislation to regulate the private health sector will be tabled in two months' time.

The association's CEO, Kurt Worrall-Clare, says the private health sector is already one of the most regulated sectors in the country, and has instead called for enabling legislation.

Worrall-Clare says their members believe that higher prices for private medical services are justified.

Meanwhile, IFP Health Advisor Ruth Rabinowitz says a lack of accountability remains a fundamental problem confronting the provision of health services in South Africa.

She says medicines, for instance, are frequently stolen and it's not always clear who is responsible for ordering or allocating them. “We do not have accountability and we do not have certainty in the health service. The service is very confusing, the way it is structured.”