On September 5, the Health Funders Association (HFA) chief executive Phumelele Makatini penned an article in Sowetan titled “Low-cost benefit option set to improve healthcare.”
The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS’s) regulatory philosophy is one predicated on accountability, fairness, and transparency. We had engaged with HFA, but at no point did we express the view that “the regulator rightfully indicated that the introduction of low-cost benefit options should complement the rollout of NHI through expanding private healthcare cover by making it affordable to more people”.
I hold the utmost respect for Makatini but her opinion piece was simply misguided, unfounded and littered with an array of contradictions and hyperbole. Data mined from all our previous industry reports validated that private healthcare was expensive, driven mostly by hospital and specialist healthcare, pharmaceuticals and other technologies.
Our health system is two-tiered and the NHI’s involvement in this malaise stems from arresting these runaway health costs, much like in other first world and developing countries.
Most troubling is Makatini’s seeming entitlement to speak on behalf of the CMS and with authority on low-cost benefit options (LCBO), almost masquerading as its spokesperson.
Firstly, we have a memorandum of understanding that governs our relationship with HFA. The need to respect each other’s disclosure of information flew out of the door. We would have appreciated Makatini to have expressed her sentiments with us first, before misrepresenting CMS’s position in such a public exhibition.
The CMS has completed the analysis on the LCBO and is only awaiting a date to engage the health minister, as was discussed with Makatini.
The CMS will for now not publicly disclose the recommendations contained in the final report. Our intention is to respect the integrity and processes of this important policy instrument.
Until such time the department of health through the ministry has studied the report and made official pronouncements, only then will the CMS fully discharge its reasoning behind the recommendations.
I would urge Makatini to follow the terms of our agreement and to engage us directly with any aspects she wants to discuss.
But more importantly, we implore all medical schemes and their leaders, not to cultivate an insipid culture of despondency and turn to media to ventilate.
Publicly speaking on matters without the backing of real evidence and data is tantamount to misleading the 8.9-million medical scheme members and beneficiaries we all pledged to serve as charged under the Medical Schemes Act.
Dr Sipho Kabane
CMS registrar and CEO
READER LETTER | Healthcare opinion piece misguided and unfounded
Image: Gallo images/Sharon Seretlo
On September 5, the Health Funders Association (HFA) chief executive Phumelele Makatini penned an article in Sowetan titled “Low-cost benefit option set to improve healthcare.”
The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS’s) regulatory philosophy is one predicated on accountability, fairness, and transparency. We had engaged with HFA, but at no point did we express the view that “the regulator rightfully indicated that the introduction of low-cost benefit options should complement the rollout of NHI through expanding private healthcare cover by making it affordable to more people”.
I hold the utmost respect for Makatini but her opinion piece was simply misguided, unfounded and littered with an array of contradictions and hyperbole. Data mined from all our previous industry reports validated that private healthcare was expensive, driven mostly by hospital and specialist healthcare, pharmaceuticals and other technologies.
Our health system is two-tiered and the NHI’s involvement in this malaise stems from arresting these runaway health costs, much like in other first world and developing countries.
Most troubling is Makatini’s seeming entitlement to speak on behalf of the CMS and with authority on low-cost benefit options (LCBO), almost masquerading as its spokesperson.
Firstly, we have a memorandum of understanding that governs our relationship with HFA. The need to respect each other’s disclosure of information flew out of the door. We would have appreciated Makatini to have expressed her sentiments with us first, before misrepresenting CMS’s position in such a public exhibition.
The CMS has completed the analysis on the LCBO and is only awaiting a date to engage the health minister, as was discussed with Makatini.
The CMS will for now not publicly disclose the recommendations contained in the final report. Our intention is to respect the integrity and processes of this important policy instrument.
Until such time the department of health through the ministry has studied the report and made official pronouncements, only then will the CMS fully discharge its reasoning behind the recommendations.
I would urge Makatini to follow the terms of our agreement and to engage us directly with any aspects she wants to discuss.
But more importantly, we implore all medical schemes and their leaders, not to cultivate an insipid culture of despondency and turn to media to ventilate.
Publicly speaking on matters without the backing of real evidence and data is tantamount to misleading the 8.9-million medical scheme members and beneficiaries we all pledged to serve as charged under the Medical Schemes Act.
Dr Sipho Kabane
CMS registrar and CEO
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending
Related articles
Latest Videos