Impact of private healthcare on the public system

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) recently emphasised the intricate relationship between South Africa's public healthcare and private sectors, contending that the operations of one invariably impacted the other.

- SIPHO JACK

This notion surfaced as discussions focused on the role of private healthcare in alleviating the strain on an under-resourced public healthcare system.

Nehawu's spokesperson, Lwazi Nkolonzi, questioned the contribution of the private healthcare sector, which reportedly serves only 20% of the population through medical aid.

He argued that when private patients exhaust their benefits, they often revert to public facilities, further burdening an already overtaxed resource that lacks reimbursement from medical aids.

"The already overstretched public system is then forced to provide care without reimbursement from medical aids, further straining its limited resources," Nkolonzi stated.

He emphasised the constitutional guarantee of access to healthcare services, asserting that real accessibility was contingent on service availability to all citizens, regardless of their income.

Nkolonzi lamented the exorbitant costs associated with private healthcare in South Africa, noting that it ranked among the most expensive in the world, making it unaffordable even for those with medical insurance.