Chairperson, instead of looking for ways to make the high quality of health care in the private sector available to all South Africans, the Minister of Health has taken a path, with the Health Amendment Bill tabled last week, that will very likely cause South Africa to lose these skills completely.
There is no doubt that prices are too high in the private sector. But government is to blame for creating an uncompetitive environment and for enforcing an artificial divide between the public and the private sectors. The DA's proposal, which we have delivered to the Minister of Health and the Minister of Finance this week, is aimed at bridging this divide.
The DA believes that the state must continue to subsidise health care for the poor and supervise its delivery. But through public- private partnerships the management of every public hospital should be put out to tender, and the door must be opened to any of South Africa's private health care providers, or any other suitably qualified body, to submit tenders to run any of these hospitals. Frere Hospital must be at the top of the list for management takeover.
This will not only improve quality, but will lead to the shortening of waiting lists for operations and reduce the hours patients currently have to wait before seeing a doctor.
The DA believes that the potential exists for our country to deliver a world-class health service that meets the needs of all its people. But only by using all the skills available to us can we achieve this.