[Clem Sunter of Anglo American was one of those liberals who held a high-ranking position in business. He went around talking all this liberal talk. And he even wrote books about the future of South Africa. He was the one who coined the phrase “the high road” and the “low road”. Well, we took the “high road” he recommended and look what a mess the country is in. Now he is concerned about health care. Jerk. The ANC created the Health Care mess there is today. Nobody else did. Just them. Liberals are too naive for Africa. The ANC will eat them up and spit them out. Jan]

Cape Town – The health-care industry in South Africa is in a similar position to commercial farming in Zimbabwe, the Board of Healthcare Funders annual conference was told on Monday.

Clem Sunter, of the Anglo American Chairman’s Fund, told the conference: “We need to predict the scenarios and options available to move towards positive choices and must avoid the repercussions of confrontation to choose rational debate.”

Sunter said private health-care in South Africa was at present “exclusive and efficient”, meaning that only a small percentage of the population received efficient health care.

Most other countries offered inefficient services to a similar small sector, and none to the majority.

A few, such as Romania, offer inefficient services to all. The ideal to strive for is to offer efficient services to the whole population, Sumter said.

Attendance show awareness fo challenge

He cautioned that “this debate is being engaged against a backdrop of what can effectively be considered war – a war against a miniature weapon of mass destruction: Aids.”

‘Must appreciate the broader context’

The unusually high attendance at the conference showed awareness of the challenges facing the sector, said the board’s spokesperson Heidi Kruger.

Kruger said delegates then debated issues such as affordability and access.

She said many delegates had difficulty divorcing themselves from sectoral concerns to appreciate the broader context.

Profits and whether they were excessive or justified also “raised temperatures”.

Kruger said it was generally agreed the private sector had to engage more extensively with the public sector, in private partnerships and especially through the recently established Private Healthcare Forum which represente funders and providers.

Co-peration between private stakeholders and the department of health was “vital to the success of the industry”.

Delegates applauded an impassioned statement that South Africa had the resources and expertise to find solutions, much as the country had negotiated its democratic process.

All that was needed was the good will for a proper balance to be found between regulation and fair competition.

The need for a health charter was emphasised to deal with issues such as ownership, equity and transformation.

The Board of Healthcare Funders is an association representing the interests of medical schemes and their members.
Edited by Iaine Harper

Source: NEWS24.COM
URL: http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/New…/p>