Free health care for the disabled
3 July 2003
Certain categories of people living with disabilities will from now receive free health care at public health centres, Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said this week.
The first category includes people with permanent, moderate or severe disability – those who cannot take care of themselves or who cannot walk continuously between 10 metres and 200 metres on their own.
The second category includes people who have been diagnosed with chronic irreversible psychiatric disability - irrespective of fluctuations in their mental status.
The third category includes frail older people and long-term institutionalised state-subsidised patients.
Disabled people in these categories will receive all in-patient and out-patient hospital services at public health centres free of charge.
However, people with temporary disabilities or chronic illnesses that do not cause substantial loss of functional ability, and disabled people who are
employed and/or covered by health insurance, the Road Accident Fund or Workman’s Compensation, will not be entitled to free health care.
Specialist medical interventions for prevention, cure, correction or rehabilitation of a disability will be provided subject to motivation from a qualified specialist and approval by a committee appointed by the health department head.
Tshabalala-Msimang said the department will spend R30-million over the next year to ensure that people currently on the waiting list for assistive devices received these.
This latest extension is in addition to the provision of free health care to pregnant women and children under six that has been provided since 1994, as well as the improved primary health care services that have been made available to all South Africans.
"Disability is a substantial contributor to poverty", Tshabalala-Msimang said. "As government we are determined to address the challenges facing people with disabilities
within our broader programme of poverty eradication, social support and economic opportunities for the poor."
Source: BuaNews
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