We take this opportunity to congratulate Dr Aaron Motsoaledi on the vote of confidence that the president and the people of the Republic of SA have given to the minister to have a second tenure as the Minister of Health.
This will ensure that he continues to agitate for the attainment of the goal of universal access to healthcare by all the people of SA, irrespective of their economic or social status. We further wish the former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo, the chairperson of the Competition Commission into the private healthcare sector, the very best in investigating the ever-skyrocketing costs of health services by the private sector.
Access to healthcare is a human rights issue which should not be hindered by exorbitant costs charged by private healthcare providers. It is a travesty of justice to commercialise health as it is currently done here in SA and the rest of the developed world.
We welcome the additional teeth given to the commission to have a wider term of reference and powers to subpoena all stakeholders in the private healthcare market. These powers to subpoena enable the commission to compel any person to appear before it or elicit any evidence which it believes may have a bearing on the private healthcare market.
We look forward first to the finalisation and gazetting of the full terms of reference by July, and the commencement of the investigation towards the end of 2014 – that is if the matter before the courts between the Netcare group and KPMG [a network of professional firms that provides audit, tax and advisory services] is resolved expeditiously.
This ultimately would lead to the release of the findings and recommendations by the commission to the minister of health and the presentation of these to the cabinet in late 2015.
Lastly we [hope] all affected parties will make full disclosure for the benefit of the citizens of this country.
