Advocacy groups are among those questioning the planned National Health Insurance’s oversight body, flagging Sections 42 to 44 of the Act, which designates a centralised investigative unit as the sole authority for managing all complaints.
This has become a contentious issue in the court challenges against the NHI, with detractors arguing that this will undermine transparency, compromise the independence of investigations, and erode public trust in the system, writes Yoliswa Sobuwa for Health-e News.
Currently, patients can submit complaints, either verbally or in writing, directly at the health facility concerned.
Professor Hassan Mahomed, a public health specialist with the Western Cape Department of Health and Stellenbosch University, says Sections 42 to 44 of the NHI Act provide for the establishment of the Fund’s own internal complaints investigation unit and appeals process, raising concerns that this may function separately from the Office of the Health Ombud. …..more
