The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) supports the investigation into allegations of corruption within the Office of the Registrar of Medical Schemes
13 March 2014
BHF
The BHF and its member medical schemes are extremely concerned at the allegations of corruption within the Office of the Registrar of medical schemes.
”We commend and support the swift action taken by the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS), which involved establishing an independent forensic investigation and suspending the Registrar. As the custodian of an industry which collects R113 billion annually from members of the public, it is of utmost importance that the Regulator is beyond reproach,” says Dr Humphrey Zokufa, MD of BHF.
To this end, the BHF is duty bound to bring to the attention of Professor Veriava, Chairman of the CMS, other irksome issues pertaining to the Office of the Registrar, relating to Section 6 of the Medical Schemes Levies Act.
The BHF reminds public officials involved in the health funding environment as well as trustees and employees of medical schemes that they have been entrusted with member funds and should therefore be cognizant at all times of their responsibility to safeguard these funds.
In addition to the current allegations leveled against the Registrar, the BHF hopes that the investigation will probe the 2012 SARS tax judgment against the Registrar, especially as he continued to hold office thereafter.
As the representative organization, the BHF applauds the call by Professor Veriava in Circular 15 of 2014, for open lines of communication between the CMS and the industry.