Hlokomelo Mabogale |
A Section 59 Investigation Panel into the medical schemes in South Africa led by the Adv Thembeka Ngcukaitobi has found stighering, disturbing and racism deeds.
Releasing the report on Tuesday, Ngcukaitobi said companies Discovery, MedScheme and Government Employees Medical Scheme (GEMS) committed unfair racial discrimination towards Black, Indian and Coloured health care providers.
The investigation came after the Section 59 report probed allegations by members of the National Health Care Professionals’ Association who accused medical aid companies of racial profiling, especially when the companies were required to pay doctors.
While releasing the more than 300 pages interim report, Ngcukaitobi said they found that between 2012 to 2019, black practitioners were more likely to be found to have committed waste and fraud than White counterparts, by Medscheme, GEMS and Discovery.
Mgcukaitobi reiterated that black professionals said that they were forced to close down and admit to fraud, while others were forced to pay back fees they could not afford.
