Mathata fela for patients in this province!

PATIENTS will now have to pay more for healthcare services at clinics and hospitals.

This after the Limpopo Department of Health put in place revised patient fees tariffs starting from Monday, 7 April.

This means that not all health services are free.

Low-income, middle-income and high-income households will have to pay more from between R5 833 up to R29 166 per month but will get subsidies.

Provincial Health spokesman Neil Shikwambana said the subsidy applies only to those who are not funded by medical schemes or insurances, paid for by employers or any other funder.

He said those who can afford to pay for healthcare services, whether partly or fully, have a moral and civic duty to do so.

"The department uses an income-based billing system to decide how much they should pay for public healthcare services," he said.

The updated patient fee schedule helps the department to subsidise care for the poor and keep important services running.

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"Also, 100% charges shall apply for certain services regardless of income or category and all patients will be required to pay full fees for cosmetic surgery, medical records and emergency standby facility fees," he said.

Shikwambana said this revision is a needed step to keep the public healthcare system sustainable, fair, and accessible for the most vulnerable in our communities.

"Patients who are treated for certain conditions like communicable diseases such as TB, HIV/Aids and others or meet the free healthcare criteria, elderly people who are social grant recipients, disability grant recipients, foster child grant, patient with mental disorders, veteran pensioners, children placed in orphanage facilities and children under the age of six, pregnant and lactating women who are not covered by a medical aid scheme, will get services for free," he said.

Other patients are worried that they will not be able to afford the services.

Patrick Mahlakwane (43) said the salary he gets doesn't cover all his needs.

"Now VAT will increase on 1 May. This will further burden us more because things will be expensive. The department didn't think well on this because most of us will die as we can't afford to pay," he said.

Precious Madiba (37) said: "The department is slowly killing us because we can't afford the payments. What about the foreign nationals. Are they going to pay too?"