Xolile Bhengu: The Financial Mail

DR AARON Motsoaledi seemed more subdued than usual as he addressed the Hospital Association of SA (Hasa) at its annual conference last week. The Health Minister blames the industry and private specialists for the high costs of private healthcare. He said SA had reached a time in history where it could not run away from the need for a National Health Insurance system. He said government needed the help of the private health sector to deal with HIV/Aids. He said a way must be found to share the resources to benefit both the state-funded and private healthcare systems. Motsoaledi seems to have toned down his rhetoric about the inequitable cost differences between the public and private healthcare systems. But he knew the audience he was speaking to and used the opportunity to ask the private sector to help government improve SA's healthcare system. Discovery Health CEO Jonathan Broomberg said there was a tremendous reserve of goodwill among all private health sector participants to contribute to the successful development of the NHI. He said that SA's private healthcare system had extensive assets, expertise and infrastructure which could make a significant contribution to the success of the NHI. Broomberg said the private sector viewed the Minister's open and engaging approach to partnership with the private sector as extremely positive. But other experts warn that Motsoaledi's biggest challenge will be to avoid adopting a one-size-fits-all approach to SA’s health-care problems. Richard Cooke of the Rural Doctors Association of SA said that too often debates on private and public healthcare costs and hospital-centric care versus primary healthcare approaches overshadowed the issue of medical staff imbalances between urban and rural healthcare facilities. Rural areas needed customised solutions, he said. Input on the NHI green paper has been extended to the end of December 2011.