The private sector stands ready and open to collaborate with the government in rolling out National Health Insurance (NHI) in a way that will boost sentiment and increase investment in the sector, Discovery founder and CEO Adrian Gore says.
Gore, who founded the financial services company in the early 1990s, said the go-it-alone posture of the government in its pursuit of achieving universal healthcare is not helpful.
He said universal healthcare coverage is a principle the industry supports and welcomes, but collaboration between the private sector and the government is crucial to make the ideal a reality.
"Our point is don’t create a legislative framework that is so inflexible — create some wiggle room so we can work collectively together and find out how to make it work. I think that’s maybe the position. There’s no arrogance from our side, it is actually humility. We are saying we collectively don’t know how we’re going to get this thing to work," Gore said.
"We don’t have enough resources. We don’t have enough doctors, nurses. We need more of them. The day you create a bill that kills sentiment, you retard sentiment and stop investment in the sector. Our sense is that there is a good way forward. Free up the ability to collaborate and you get an environment that is collaborative, the NHI gets in place and you have a much easier road to travel."
The NHI, which aims to create a single health service for all citizens that is free at the point of delivery, has polarised SA and sparked debate about the role of the government and private sector in ensuring the health and wellbeing of South Africans.
Our position is that intellectually you need private sector collaboration. If you look at the numbers, you need more funding, not less.
— Adrian Gore, Discovery founder and CEO
The National Assembly approved the NHI Bill in June, which is the first step towards implementing the biggest health reforms in post-apartheid SA. The bill is now being reviewed by the National Council of Provinces, which is the second chamber of parliament.
Gore emphasised that there is a universal appreciation that the status quo of the healthcare sector is not sustainable.
"I think often there’s a misconstruing of that understanding of the private sector. Our position is that intellectually you need private sector collaboration. If you look at the numbers, you need more funding, not less," Gore said.
"If you take a very, very hard view to say that you don’t need private sector collaboration and you look at the numbers, it would not be possible to make NHI a success. You can’t provide healthcare at the level that is comprehensive enough that your employee sector will be happy with."
He also weighed in on the contentious Road Accident Fund (RAF) amendment bill released earlier in September. One feature of the bill is that it proposes to do away with reimbursement of expenses covered by medical aid/insurance.
He does not see the bill in its current form passing constitutional muster. "It seems illogical. The RAF is funded by all road users. To discriminate against people who have some other coverage seems arbitrary. It is not clear what the basis is."
Medical schemes at present submit claims to the RAF after footing the bill for members injured in road accidents. SA has about 800,000 road accidents a year, according to the department of transport, translating to about 2,200 crashes daily.
The RAF on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on the Council for Medical Schemes for its opposition to the exclusion of medical aid members from RAF benefits. "What is next really? Refusal to pay public hospitals, because those without medical aid receive free medical treatment, and medical scheme members are also taxpayers entitled to free medical care?"
The council on Thursday declined to comment.
Gore is among the 115 CEOs who in July signed a pact with the government to assist with technical expertise and funding to revive the economy and resolve the energy and logistics challenges. He said he is hopeful the ship will be turned around.
"Sentiment drives a lot of these issues. A small set of changes can create a very different environment very quickly. I have been very involved in the business initiative with the president. We have people in power stations working with excellent people at Eskom. When results filter through, we can show society we are getting traction and sentiment will change."
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