The Eastern Cape department of health wants patients to produce their identity documents (IDs) at public health facilities before receiving treatment.
The new measure, announced by the department, will be in place by November 1, and will affect about five million people who receive various services at hospitals and clinics throughout the province.
The department says the policy on IDs is required to prevent the costly double-servicing of patients. It emphasised that patients would not be turned away for failing to produce an ID.
However, politicians have warned the department to tread carefully to avoid a potential backlash as a result of the new policy.
Chairman of the portfolio committee on health at the Bhisho legislature, Mxolisi Dimaza said: “You cannot turn away a person who requires medical treatment on the basis that they do not have an ID.
“We will be monitoring this latest development in the department very closely.”
Democratic Alliance spokeswoman on health Celeste Barker said: “Health is a universal right. What happens if the patient has lost their ID? What happens in the cases of elderly people whose IDs are held by money lenders?”
Provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said patients who would be exempted from complying with the ID requirement included new-born babies, foreign nationals without documentation, and people admitted to hospitals while unconscious. The policy was a measure to contain costs in laboratory services and in tests, which in some cases were repeated unnecessarily.
“By requesting patients to produce IDs we are trying to prevent unnecessary repetition of tests.” There were about 40 pathology laboratories in the province, and each test cost as much as R180.
“If a nurse or doctor performs a test on a patient, the sample is sent to our laboratories, and if the results are not back by the time the patient is due for a check-up, the nurse or doctor performs another test at a further cost to the state.”
Expenditure on laboratory services represents the third-highest outlay made from the health budget of R447-million a year.
Kupelo said doctors must now have access to tests electronically, so that they do not duplicate them.
The ID system was also necessary to prevent individuals from being identified as different people at various clinics.
He said members of the public had been notified about the new system through awareness campaigns at public health facilities.
Kupelo said patients without IDs would still be examined. “The responsibility of doctors and nurses is that they will process all patients irrespective of whether they comply with our circular or not.
“Then the laboratory has got the responsibility to reject tests which are non-compliant with our circular,” Kupelo said, adding that the results of tests would not be sent back if patients did not have an ID.
“We are saying bring your ID so that you can get your lab results.” — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Patients must show IDs at public health facilities
The new measure, announced by the department, will be in place by November 1, and will affect about five million people who receive various services at hospitals and clinics throughout the province.
The department says the policy on IDs is required to prevent the costly double-servicing of patients. It emphasised that patients would not be turned away for failing to produce an ID.
However, politicians have warned the department to tread carefully to avoid a potential backlash as a result of the new policy.
Chairman of the portfolio committee on health at the Bhisho legislature, Mxolisi Dimaza said: “You cannot turn away a person who requires medical treatment on the basis that they do not have an ID.
“We will be monitoring this latest development in the department very closely.”
Democratic Alliance spokeswoman on health Celeste Barker said: “Health is a universal right. What happens if the patient has lost their ID? What happens in the cases of elderly people whose IDs are held by money lenders?”
Provincial health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said patients who would be exempted from complying with the ID requirement included new-born babies, foreign nationals without documentation, and people admitted to hospitals while unconscious. The policy was a measure to contain costs in laboratory services and in tests, which in some cases were repeated unnecessarily.
“By requesting patients to produce IDs we are trying to prevent unnecessary repetition of tests.” There were about 40 pathology laboratories in the province, and each test cost as much as R180.
“If a nurse or doctor performs a test on a patient, the sample is sent to our laboratories, and if the results are not back by the time the patient is due for a check-up, the nurse or doctor performs another test at a further cost to the state.”
Expenditure on laboratory services represents the third-highest outlay made from the health budget of R447-million a year.
Kupelo said doctors must now have access to tests electronically, so that they do not duplicate them.
The ID system was also necessary to prevent individuals from being identified as different people at various clinics.
He said members of the public had been notified about the new system through awareness campaigns at public health facilities.
Kupelo said patients without IDs would still be examined. “The responsibility of doctors and nurses is that they will process all patients irrespective of whether they comply with our circular or not.
“Then the laboratory has got the responsibility to reject tests which are non-compliant with our circular,” Kupelo said, adding that the results of tests would not be sent back if patients did not have an ID.
“We are saying bring your ID so that you can get your lab results.” — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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