hasa murky about health draft
21 April 2008

These included a regulation that appeared to give the state substantial powers to control pricing of private healthcare services.

The chief executive officer of Hasa, advocate Kurt Worrall-Clare, said that Hasa's first reading of the document indicated that it contained a number of items of concern, including the fact that aspects of the draft legislation were vague and lacking in detail.

"For example, references are made to the minister's right to make rules relating to critical components of the amendment and yet no such rules are available for consideration," said Worrall-Clare.

" Other provisions may, in our opinion, contradict other sections within the National Health Act, especially regarding patient confidentiality, the obligation of private establishments to protect such information and the powers of inspectors to access such information."

Worrall-Clare says Hasa would issue a more detailed response once the draft amendment had been studied and the private hospital sector would pursue whatever opportunities it could to discuss the matter further with government.

Sapa, www.iafrica.com