By Akani Nkuna
ActionSA has announced plans to table the Parliamentary and Provincial Medical Aid Scheme (PARMED) Amendment Bill in Parliament, seeking to compel Members of Parliament (MPs) and public office bearers to use public healthcare services.
In a statement on Tuesday, ActionSA MP Dr Kgosi Letlape said the proposal is aimed at ensuring public representatives experience the same conditions of neglect and inadequate care that ordinary South Africans face daily.
“This intervention represents the first step in ActionSA’s broader mission to ensure that public representatives experience the same realities as the people they serve – starting with public healthcare,” Letlape said.
“For far too long, MPs and other office bearers have been shielded by an exclusive medical aid scheme, insulated from the daily struggles of millions who rely on collapsing public healthcare services.”
The Bill proposes making PARMED optional, rather than mandatory for MPs. Letlape argued that this would force representatives to consciously choose between private and public healthcare, with their preference for private institutions exposing the inequities in the system.
“The PARMED Amendment Bill is not only about fairness and affordability, but also about accountability. It begins a process of aligning the interests of public representatives with those of the citizens they serve,” he added.
Letlape also raised concerns about the cost of compulsory PARMED membership, which he said runs into thousands of rands per month while being underutilised and accessible only to a privileged few.
He argued that obliging MPs and ministers to use public healthcare would create the political will to improve facilities and eliminate challenges that have long plagued the sector.
“Compulsory membership entrenches a double standard where public representatives enjoy a level of healthcare access the majority can only dream of. If MPs and ministers are forced to use public healthcare, there will be a direct political incentive to fix the system that millions depend on,” Letlape said.
INSIDE POLITICS