South Africa
CMS ban on low-cost med schemes faces legal challenge
Discovery Health may turn to litigation after the Final Board of Appeals of the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) banned two of its primary care medical insurance products, says Rapport. The appeals board ordered Discovery to cease its coverage of...GEMS opposition to merging with other schemes
The principal officer of the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) has warned against the state’s plans to merge it with other schemes for public servants, saying consolidation will require careful planning and consultation with unions....ANC lets two disgraced former Health MECs off the hook
ANC Gauteng leaders Qedani Mahlangu and Brian Hlongwa will remain on the party's provincial executive committee (PEC), the ANC said, despite their respective roles in the Life Esidimeni and a R1.2bn corruption scandal. Hlongwa was implicated...Labour Department closes down Health Department's Pretoria HQ
The national Health Department has closed its Pretoria offices, reports The Times. The Labour Department ordered the Health Department on Monday to evacuate the Civitas Building in Pretoria. A Labour Department inspector declared the building unsafe...Legal limbo for low-cost med schemes hurts the less well-off
Low-cost medical plans can offer workers in the private sector access to much-needed basic health care, but despite employers being willing to sponsor this cover, uncertainty about the legality of the products may hinder growth of membership,...Medical schemes' spending on benefits up 6% to R161bn
Overall medical schemes spent R160.6bn on healthcare benefits in 2017, up 6.04% from the R151.2bn spent in 2016. Fin24 reports that this is according to the recently released Council of Medical Schemes annual report, for 2017/18. According to the...High unemployment keeps SA's medical scheme numbers static
The number of medical-scheme beneficiaries remained virtually unchanged for the past seven years with high unemployment and lack of government intervention said to be keeping membership out of reach of a steadily increasing slice of the population....SANC delays on private nursing colleges threaten NHI plans
The implementation of National Health Insurance will demand many more nurses, a major concern because of the delay in South African Nursing Council approvals for private nursing education institutions. With the final implementation of National...Global mental health report condemns Life Esidimeni tragedy
Exactly a year after the start of the arbitration hearings that sought justice for the families of the dead Life Esidimeni patients, the esteemed Lancet Commission on Mental Health has released a global mental health report condemning the local...Commission's private healthcare data flawed — lawyer
The Competition Commission’s preliminary report into SA's private healthcare industry has come under fire at the Hospital Association’s annual conference, with a lawyer describing the data as flawed and out of date. According to a Beeld...Jobs summit to consider Netcare proposal for 50,000 new nurses
A proposal to train and employ 50,000 new nurses will be one of the flagship projects on the table at the government's Jobs Summit being held this week. Business Day reports that the two-day initiative is looking for solutions to South Africa's high...Medical aid increases will be 'well above inflation'
Medical aid increases well above inflation are expected to hit members in 2019. Business Tech reports that according to data from medical aid companies, the industry generally follows the guideline of CPI+3% when determining price increases every...Outbreak that killed 9 babies was 'kept secret'
Nine babies died at a Johannesburg hospital from necrotising enterocolitis only a few months before a klebsiella outbreak killed six new-borns in a Vosloorus hospital. According to a Sunday Times report, the outbreak of necrotising enterocolitis at...Parliament wants intervention over SA medical students in Cuba and Russia
A multiparty delegation from Parliament is currently in Cuba and has unanimously agreed that intervention is required to address the concerns of SA medical students studying in Cuba and Russia. News24 says this is according to parliamentary...CMS wants single medical scheme for public servants
The Council for Medical Schemes is proposing consolidation of all medical schemes for public servants into the Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) in line with government policy on National Health Insurance. Business Day reports that the...