The Government Employees Medical Scheme says the healthcare industry is losing around R22-billion a year due to fraud, waste and abuse.
It says this is mainly due to doctors and medical personnel colluding with members.
The scheme’s principal officer Dr Stan Moloabi says, “It is fraud, waste and abuse. This is due to activities conducted by those that see an opportunity to basically abuse the system. I am talking about an opportunity because a fraudulent opportunity is by a small percentage of healthcare providers sometimes colluding with member schemes through our systems and whistleblowing and then we pick up these activities which exist.”
COVID-19 related claims
Last week, the Government Employees Medical Scheme said it has spent R8.2 billion on COVID-19 related claims by civil servants and their family members since the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year.
It said a big chunk of the money was not budgeted for as the outbreak took everyone by surprise.
VIDEO: SABC reporters Tshepo Mongoai and Mbongeni Muthwa filed the report below:
