News

Immediate threats to private practice

29 Apr 2025

On 8 April 2025 SAPPF members attended a webinar to discuss the immediate threats to private practice and in particular attempts to take control of the private sector and determine pricing as Government paves the way to implement the NHI.
“The fact that less than 20% of SAPPF members attended the webinar may indicate a level of apathy that is itself an immediate threat,” wrote Surgicom Chairman Dr Philip Matley in the Surgicom’s April Newsletter.
One of the immediate threats is the gazetted proposal from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) for an interim block exemption from the Competition Act to allow negotiations and ultimately the fixing of all pricing for the treatment of both PMB and non-PMB conditions
Another threat is Government’s statement that there will be only one coding system, the ICHI (International Classification of Healthcare Interventions), for all healthcare procedures across both the public and private sectors. (Current computer systems in the private sector will simply not be able to accommodate it.)
“The Minister of Health has stated publicly that they are introducing the recommendations of the Health Market Inquiry, but this is simply not the case.” – Surgicom Newsletter April 2025

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