SAMA: It's about authority

2003-10-08 23:36

Antoinette Pienaar

Pretoria - "We will fight it tooth and nail."

This was the reaction of Dr Kgosi Letlape, chairperson of the South African Medical Association (SAMA) to the new national health bill's requirement that doctors, pharmacists, nurses and other health workers must have a needs certificate before they set up a practise in future.

"South Africa is a democracy, but this certificate is about authority and violates the constitutional rights of doctors and patients in this country."

The SAMA is concerned that the certificate would be detrimental to patients, because, among other things, patients would not be able to visit the doctors of their choice.

"We agree that the issue of the distribution of medical practises should be addressed, but the way it is being done now, will cause chaos in a health system that is already overburdened.

"It will not only force doctors from the profession, but also out of the country."

The SAMA said doctors should rather be encouraged to work in under-serviced areas.

The organisation described its attempts to negotiate with government on the issue as "futile".

In future, healthcare practitioners will need approval from the director general of health, who will issue the needs certificate.

The SAMA wants to prevent this system from being implemented and is considering legal action.

- Beeld