Motsoaledi concerned by racial discrimination against black healthcare providers by medical schemes
Motsoaledi received the long-awaited Section 59 panel report on Monday, which confirmed allegations of racial discrimination and unfair practices.
Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi during the SONA debate in Parliament on 12 February 2025. Picture: Phando Jikelo/Parliament of SA
JOHANNESBURG - Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi said he’s shocked at the dramatic change in how medical aid schemes and administrators treat black healthcare providers after a report confirmed allegations of racial discrimination and unfair practices.
Motsoaledi received the long-awaited Section 59 panel report on Monday.
The report exposes procedural unfairness and a power imbalance that disproportionately impacts black medical professionals.
Motsoaledi said the complaints filed in 2019 opened his eyes to some of the injustices.
READ: Panel finds some medical aid schemes racially discriminated against black service providers
“We didn’t know that black doctors are being cheated. As I told you, it’s a relationship between a doctor and the scheme - we only knew when they came to lodge a claim with the Council of Medical Schemes.
"Me, during our time, these things did not happen because in our time, I told you patients didn’t have to sign anything. It just shows that as the system advances, we start to see problems.”