Commission vows to finish overdue health market inquiry
The Competition Commission’s health market inquiry, which has been suspended due to budget constraints, has assured stakeholders it is committed to finishing its work.
Its final report is keenly awaited by the government and the private sector, as it is expected to contain recommendations that will guide future health reforms.
The inquiry was established in 2013 to probe the constraints to competition in the private health-care industry and determine the barriers to patient access. It began work in January 2014, with a two-year deadline for publishing its final report. However, it has been repeatedly delayed, thanks to legal challenges and difficulties in obtaining data from stakeholders.
It published its interim findings in July 2018 and was due to publish its final report by the end of March, but that deadline will not be met.
The work of the inquiry was suspended in mid-January for the remainder of the financial year after the commission ran short of funds.
The commission said at the time it was intent on remaining within its budget.
In a notice published on the commission’s website on Tuesday, it said the inquiry would resume at the start of the next financial year. A new publication date for its final report will be announced before the end of the month, the commission said.
Public interest law group Section 27 has previously questioned whether the government has the political will to see the inquiry through to the end.
“If the HMI [health market inquiry] was a priority for the government, the money would have been found.
“That the money hasn’t been found at such a crucial stage in the process is deeply concerning. The delay is particularly worrisome in the light of the considerable investment so far,” said Section 27 executive director Umunyana Rugege.
The inquiry’s final report was expected to have provided important evidence and analysis to guide health reforms for the private sector,” she said.
Its delay will have a knockon effect on reforms that had the potential to make quality healthcare more affordable, warned Section 27.