Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Private health care must become cheaper

The price of private health care needs to be reduced to help the National Health Insurance scheme work, according to Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.


Private health care must become cheaperThe price of private health care needs to be reduced to help the National Health Insurance scheme work, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi said in Johannesburg on Thursday.


"Two things are needed to make the NHI flourish – the public health care system must work and pricing in private health must be tamed."


The private health sector was resisting this change, he said.


"Court cases are being prepared. I'm aware of people who follow me to meetings... taking notes to prepare a court case.


"They want to make people believe that health care is expensive."


Motsoaledi said he could not be neutral on the matter.


"I want health care to be affordable."


Quality standards needed to be high and consistent, and monitoring and evaluation systems were being developed to help ensure the NHI could realise this ideal.


The NHI pilot project was started in April 2012 across 11 districts in the Eastern Cape, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, and the Free State.


The scheme will be phased in across the country over 14 years.


View the original article here

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