The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) has called on the government to consider regulating where private sector doctors and specialists work, so as to distribute their services more evenly across the country.<\/p>\n
According to a report by BusinessDay<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0the BHF released research on Friday (31 August) showing that almost half (22,802) of the health-care professionals working in private practice in 2017 were in Gauteng, which is home to about a quarter of South Africa\u2019s population.<\/p>\n The BHF\u2019s head of research, Charlton Munrove, said other approaches to licensing should also be considered – including incentivising doctors to work in certain areas.<\/p>\n This follows similar recommendations made by the Competition Commission\u2019s health market inquiry, which recommended that the health department develop a new framework for licensing all health-care facilities.<\/p>\n While its emphasis is on private hospitals, the inquiry said licensing could be extended beyond acute facilities over time, BusinessDay said.<\/p>\n Unpopular decision<\/strong><\/p>\n The recommendation is unlikely to be popular among South African doctors, with a previous Constitutional case<\/a><\/strong> ruling against\u00a0regulations requiring them to obtain a certificate of need – or ministerial approval – prior to practising.<\/p>\n It also follows numerous warnings<\/a><\/strong> from\u00a0legal and medical experts who indicated that the incoming National Health Insurance Bill could drive doctors to emigrate from the country in search of better working opportunities.<\/p>\n Speaking in June,\u00a0director of healthcare at Werksmans Attorneys, Neil Kirby said that given the current scarcity of doctors, it would not be a good strategy to freeze out those who did not stick to NHI rates.<\/p>\n Norton Rose Fulbright director Michelle David added that doctors would not want to be told what to charge, especially as the\u00a0largest purchaser of services (government), will also\u00a0be able to set tariffs.<\/p>\n In addition to a number of legal cases that are now beginning to materialise, some analysts have also cautioned that the amendments could lead to a brain drain in the country.<\/p>\n