A bill headed to Parliament aims to end the rule that forces Members of Parliament to join the exclusive Parmed medical scheme, making medical aid membership voluntary for lawmakers.
The proposal, driven by ActionSA, is part of broader calls for lawmakers to experience the same services as the citizens they represent. However, some experts have cautioned that the move may have limited practical impact.
Convenor of the Progressive Health Forum, Dr. Aslam Dasoo, described the initiative as “populist,” given the state of the health system.
“I understand what Dr. Hossein Letlabi of ActionSA intends with this, but let’s be clear: it is a populist approach, given the health system’s current state. It is not possible to compel all public officials to use the public health system in the belief that, if they do, they will ensure the system is up to standard. We’d all like to think that might happen, but it’s a bridge too far,” said Dasoo.
He further explained that removing compulsory membership may not change much: “The Parmed medical scheme has very rich benefits, probably more than any other scheme in the country. Its premiums are also heavily subsidized by the state. In other words, you and I pay for them to belong to this excellent scheme. Making it non-compulsory sounds proper, people should have freedom of choice, but I cannot see parliamentarians downgrading to other schemes with fewer benefits than Parmed.”
Dasoo concluded that while the bill may carry good intentions, “it probably won’t make any difference to the majority of the population who rely on public healthcare services, which includes 85% of South Africans.”
Listen to the full interview below:
VOC News
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