SA Health Minister Slams Private Health Care

July 1 - South Africa's Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi has slammed private health care in the country, claiming that private hospitals are milking medical aids.

He stressed the need to regulate charges in the private health industry if there was any hope of the National Health Insurance working beyond a few months.

"If you want to be a billionaire, don't own a mine, own a private hospital," he told members of Cosatu's central committee at a meeting this week.

"The first thing to do, is ensure that the charges are regulated in the private health industry," he said.

"If you don't solve this issue, comrades, we can introduce national health insurance and within six months it will be dead."

The government plans to introduce the NHI by next year, with the aim of providing healthcare to everyone in the country.

Cosatu Challenged to Fight Privatisation of Healthcare

The Health Minister challenged Cosatu to take up the cause, saying: "Comrades, we are fighting privatisation as Cosatu. Why is it privatisation of healthcare is not being fought?"

He said that South Africa's workers shouldn't blame their medical aid companies for not having adequate benefits, as it were the private healthcare providers that claimed the funds.

"Medical aids are suffering," he said. "All the premiums they received from members last year were claimed and exceed by R2.5 billion. Even if we declare today that all the employers in South Africa must increase their medical aid contribution by 100%, we will merely be helping private hospitals."

Motsoaledi said that private hospitals were charging as much as R15,000 for a 30 minute circumcision process which costs only R400 at public hospitals.

He said that circumcision is important in the war against HIV/AIDS in South Africa, and it should be easily available to South African males.