The Department of Health‘s long-awaited response to the Competition Commission’s Health Market Inquiry (HMI) report includes a proposed uniform pricing structure for private healthcare services, and amending ethical rules to facilitate multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
But some of its suggestions were last week slammed by some members of Parliament’s Health Portfolio Committee, where the department presented its feedback to HMI report.
Presenting its response to the committee, Deputy Health Minister Dr Joe Phaahla described the recommendations as “transitional interventions” that could mitigate the “current situation”.
Committee chairperson Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo highlighted the urgent need for reform in the private healthcare sector to address the high costs and inefficiencies identified in the inquiry. He stressed that the findings of the HMI report reveal significant barriers to accessing quality healthcare, ultimately affecting patient outcomes. ….more
