Latest news with #HealthPortfolioCommittee
The Citizen
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
‘Broader investigation overdue' – ActionSA lodges criminal complaint against medical aids
The party said a criminal investigation would go a long way in exposing the 'deep-seated rot' within the health sector ActionSA MP and member of the Health Portfolio Committee Dr Kgosi Letlape has lodged a criminal complaints against medical aid schemes. This follows a report, commissioned by Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi, that found racial discrimination against black service providers by the schemes Chairperson of the independent investigative panel, Tembeka Ngcukaitobi, presented the report's key findings to the minister on Monday, 7 July. Findings The panel was tasked with determining if there were any racial undertones in the medical aid schemes' treatment of practitioners. ALSO READ: Medical aids slammed for procedural unfairness in new report 'The risk ratio is a tool we developed to work out the likelihood that a black practitioner would be subjected to an investigation, a finding and a penalty, versus a white practitioner,' explained Ngcukaitobi. 'What we did have the power to do was make findings of fact, and that finding of fact simply leads to one conclusion: the evidence of risk ratios showed racial discrimination against black service providers by the schemes.' Ngcukaitobi noted how, in 2017, one private medical aid scheme found black psychiatrists guilty of fraud, waste and abuse (FWA) at more than three times the rate of their white counterparts. ALSO READ: More than half of Discovery's medical aid plans saw declines in members last year Another private scheme was shown to have found black anaesthetists guilty of FWA over six times more often than other groups in 2018. In the government employee medical scheme, black dental therapists were generally three times more likely than non-black dental therapists to be found guilty of FWA in 2014. 'Critical step' against medical aid schemes On Monday, ActionSA said that laying formal criminal complaints was a crucial step to enable investigators to lawfully access the relevant records, communications and case files. ALSO READ: Trio of medical aids fail to maintain required liquidity 'These materials are essential to uncovering the full extent of any wrongdoing and ensuring that those implicated are held to account, including both medical schemes and practitioners who may have engaged in criminal conduct,' said ActionSA. 'ActionSA is of the considered view that a broader investigation into the conduct of these schemes is both necessary and overdue.' The party said a criminal investigation would go a long way in exposing the 'deep-seated rot' within the health sector, 'ensuring that criminal conduct is rooted out and that discriminatory practices which undermine the very principles of South Africa's constitutional democracy are brought to an end'. Additional reporting by Jarryd Westerdale READ NEXT: Medical schemes risk ruining their reputations through greed
IOL News
11-06-2025
- Health
- IOL News
International Day of Yoga: Durban's commitment to wellness and cultural harmony
Durban's Amphitheatre will host thousands of yoga lovers on June 21 for the International Day of Yoga, an event focused on unity and wellness. Image: Supplied More than 3,000 yoga practitioners are expected to descend on Durban's Amphitheatre on the International Day of Yoga (IDY) on June 21. The event will be held under the theme 'Yoga for One Earth, One Health, and Oneness'. Sivananda World Peace Foundation President Ishwar Ramlutchman said, clad in white, yellow, and green shirts to symbolise peace, energy, and the environment, participants from schools, universities, temples, mosques, churches, community, and private studios will create a collective canvas of wellness and mindfulness. Participants will move to the same breath, symbolising unity amid diversity—an echo of South Africa's constitutional promise and rainbowism. Ramlutchman said KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thamsanqa Ntuli, Health Portfolio Committee chairperson Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo, local councillors, Hindu religious leaders, and Zulu cultural ambassadors will be among the participants. 'Beyond the physical postures and serene breathing, the day will reflect a deeper provincial strategy: embedding wellness in public health,' Ramlutchman said. He said this year's event promises to be more than a yoga exercise. Durban, with its unique blend of Zulu heritage and Indian diaspora history, has since become the permanent national host for IDY. Ramlutchman, a bridge-builder between Hindu and Zulu communities, said: 'Yoga is not Indian, Zulu, Christian or Hindu—it is universal. It is a spiritual and healthy gift to all humanity.' He said that at the precursor events at the Congo Ground on June 1 and Giant's Castle on June 5, the universality of yoga was reflected in the programme. The Durban beachfront is set to become a vibrant centre of wellness and unity as the city prepares to host the 11th International Day of Yoga on Saturday, 21 June 2025. Image: Supplied Ramlutchman said IDY also has implications for tourism and branding. 'With the Durban Amphitheatre now globally recognised as a symbolic yoga venue, the event strengthens the multicultural city's image as a destination not just for surfing and sun, but also for mindfulness and eco-conscious tourism,' Ramlutchman said. 'Hospitality sector leaders say there is growing interest in yoga wellness retreats along the North Coast and the Drakensberg, inspired in part by the annual Yoga Day momentum. Events like IDY offer spin-off economic benefits through hospitality, food vendors, local artisans, and fitness entrepreneurs. 'The Durban IDY is also a unique soft-power tool, forging India–South Africa ties through cultural exchange and public diplomacy.' Ramlutchman said that despite growing visibility, yoga in South Africa still battles perceptions of exclusivity, seen by some as urban, elite, or culturally foreign. 'Durban's organisers are consciously decolonising the space, translating instructions into isiZulu, supporting Black instructors, and tailoring content for working-class and rural populations,' Ramlutchman said. 'There's also the risk of commodification. As yoga becomes trendy, its deeper roots—spiritual, ethical, and philosophical—must not be lost to commercialism or superficial branding.'
IOL News
26-04-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Health Department stands by NHI education budget despite calls for reallocation
In defence of spending on NHI advertising, Deputy Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said it is as important as possible in terms of how the Department of Health assisted South Africans to get a fair amount of information. Image: Oupa Mokoena / Independent Newspapers The South African Health Department is standing firm in its commitment to promoting the National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme, even as voices arise, urging a reallocation of funds to address other pressing health needs. Deputy Minister of Health Joe Phaahla has emphasised that the government's strategy surrounding NHI education is not simply a binary choice of either funding allocation or prioritisation of other health initiatives. During a budget presentation to the Health Portfolio Committee, Phaahla outlined that the current opposition to NHI is multifaceted, involving not merely legal challenges but also a broader effort to win the hearts and minds of South Africans. 'The pushback on NHI implementation is not only in courts, but is a battle of the hearts and minds of South Africans. It is important as much as possible in terms of how we assist South Africans to get a fair amount of information. It is neither this nor that,' Phaahla said. He made the statement when the department presented its budget during the meeting of the Health Portfolio Committee on Thursday. The NHI took centre stage during the meeting, with DA MP Michele Clarke noting that Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi still planned to spend another R10m on NHI advertising. Clarke was of the view the funding could be used toward the treatment of HIV in the wake of the recent withdrawal of US aid funding. In its presentation, the department said there were processes under way in preparation for the NHI Fund. This included the essential equipment list that was to be finalised. 'This is focusing on primary care level as well as accreditation level to be used to accredit service providers that are to participate in NHI,' the department's head of planning unit, Koketso Sebanyoni, said. Sebanyoni also said that as part of NHI preparations, they would track the number of patients actively receiving medication. 'We hope this number can increase to 3.5 million in this financial year.' She added that work was being done on developing the integrated electronic health record system. 'We envisage we will finalise the second phase on the primary care package,' Sebanyoni said. The department said out of its R64.6 billion budget, NHI will be allocated R1.4bn. There was R2.4 billion allocated in the NHI indirect grant for health facilities revitalisation and R7.2bn for the NHI conditional grant. There was also R466m allocation for the contracting of additional health professionals. MPs wanted an update on the appointment of the NHI board and the funding mechanism for the NHI and overburdening of the country's health care system by illegal foreigners, among other things. The department was receiving comments from stakeholders on the regulations that were published in March on the proposed governance regulations of the NHI Fund.
IOL News
24-04-2025
- Health
- IOL News
Urgent intervention needed at Jonah G. Vaughn Centre amid neglect and mismanagement allegations
A damning oversight visit has revealed shocking conditions at the Jonah G. Vaughn Centre which falls under the Durban and Coastal Mental Health (DCMH), prompting urgent calls for intervention from the KwaZulu-Natal Legislature's Health Portfolio Committee chairperson. Health Portfolio Committee chairperson Dr Imran Keeka conducted a visit to the centre. Keeka said the facility, which provides care for individuals with mental health challenges, was found to be without electricity, leaving users to bathe in cold water despite the plummeting temperatures in KwaZulu-Natal. There was reportedly no food available except for a donation received on the day of the visit, while staff told officials that nearly all residents have been losing weight and the level of care has 'rapidly deteriorated.' Despite reported visits and interventions from the Departments of Health and Social Development, both of which fund the facility there appears to have been no lasting improvement, he said. Staff at the facility say they are receiving little to no support from their superiors. Keeka has written an urgent letter to the MEC for Health, warning that failure to act could lead to a humanitarian disaster. 'Are they being slowly starved like those at Life Esidimeni, and are we waiting for such a situation to land on our doorstep?' he asked. 'Then we will all rush to express condolences when, instead, intervention is urgent?' Keeka raised serious allegations in the letter, including claims of a 'don't care attitude' from the CEO and possible looting of up to R20 million from the facility. He stated that there are suspicions that both current and former board members may have used the facility's finances for personal gain. 'I write to call for your urgent interventions herein, both in terms of all powers vested in your offices as well as in those of your accounting officers,' Keeka stated. "Place an alert on the matters that I am raising herein, lest the matters spiral out of control.' He has also called for the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate the allegations. The provincial Departments of Health and Social Development has been approached for comment on the allegations.
