The Board of Healthcare Funders says healthcare systems across Southern Africa are facing unprecedented pressure due to shrinking budgets, severe staff shortages and the growing burden of disease.
According to the Special Investigating Unit, an estimated 15% of healthcare spending is lost to fraud, waste and abuse, costing the sector close to R30 billion.
Board of Healthcare Funders representative Leonard Lekgetho said the sector continues to grapple with a range of fraudulent practices that undermine patient care and place additional strain on already stretched resources.
He identified procurement irregularities, counterfeit medicines, price-fixing, duplicate claims and fraudulent billing through over-servicing as some of the most common forms of abuse affecting the healthcare system.
“Rising costs, aging populations, increasing chronic disease, workforce shortages, and rapid technological change are all converging at the same time. Our responsibility is to ensure that patients remain at the center of every decision we make,” Lekgetho said.
The organisation has called for stronger governance, improved oversight and greater collaboration across the healthcare sector to combat fraud and ensure that limited resources are used effectively to improve patient care.
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