HPCSA news: Broaden the investigation into healthcare costs

While we support the Department of Health's regulations on healthcare pricing and its plan to investigate private healthcare costs, we urge that this research is broadened to include all healthcare players in South Africa. The problem is bigger than healthcare providers and private hospitals,” asserts the Registrar.

He alluded to an intricate web of power play between multiple healthcare players including private hospital groups, healthcare practitioners, health funders, regulators and patients. “We need to look at the total basket of services and their relative impact on costs in healthcare, such as healthcare practitioners and their billing practices, medical aid schemes, private hospitals, as well as pharmaceutical, surgical and medical device companies, in our quest to mitigate against spiralling healthcare costs.”

“Everyone feels squeezed: healthcare practitioners bemoan the fact that they are not adequately compensated; medical schemes complain of being overdrawn; hospitals believe practitioners are draining them; the public sector is overloaded; government is battling with cost-containment and staffing, while pharmaceutical companies believe they are over-regulated, and patients feel exploited and over-charged.

He said the HPCSA – responsible for guiding the healthcare professions under its responsibility – was particularly concerned about commercial considerations versus ethics, and how healthcare practitioners might inadvertently drive healthcare costs through billing patterns, at the expense of the public.

“We are not saying healthcare practitioners should not be appropriately reimbursed for their services, but we need to reach a happy medium which will broaden cost-effective access to healthcare for all. In this effort, we encourage and welcome the need for research and wide-spread consultations to guide this rate-setting process,” said Adv. Mkhize.

“Exploitation is happening, without a doubt. And at the end of the day, it is taxpayers and the poor who simply cannot afford healthcare who are being disadvantaged by the murky relationships, pricing and profits within the healthcare sector.” Adv. Mkhize confirmed that the HPCSA would welcome honest and lively engagement with other healthcare stakeholders to promote transparency and ethical business practices in the sector.

Further enquiries: Greer van Zyl(012) 338-9481
079 510 4186