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Impact of Substance Abuse at healthcare primary level

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Herewith the information on the statistics captured by 29 SANCA centres throughout South Africa.
 
The statistics reflect the period 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017.
 
The following trends were identified:
  • Over the last 12 years, there has been an 35% increase of admissions reflecting the increase seen of substance abuse on a national level in South Africa. In the period 2005/6, SANCA centres admitted 8,733 service users and this amount increased annually to 13,376 service users for the period 2016/17.

  • There is an alarming conclusion drawn from the statistics on the various age groups, namely that the highest density (41%) of admissions is amongst 22-35 year old patients, almost half the addiction population. The second largest group is 14 – 17 year olds therefore individuals in high school Grade 8 – Grade 11.There is an increase for the age group between 4 and 13 years of age accounts for 3%.

  • The onset age is getting younger as there is an annual increase from age 4 to 35. This is significant in that it implies an earlier onset age of substance abuse.

  • A great concern for the medical field is that the brain only reaches maturity at 26 years of age and that the highest prevalence of admissions of a substance use disorder where below this age group. There could be permanent brin structural changes in the developing brain.

  • There is an decrease in alcohol submissions at the centres of the last year but an increase in admissions for cannabis admissions to the various centres;

  • When analysing the racial groups, 68% of the service users were African and second largest group is the coloured population at 17%; 12% of the clients treated during this period were white; and the Indian/Asian population was only 3%.

  • Over 41% of the clients are unemployed. The second largest group (31%) are school learners that are receiving treatment and 2,5% are students. Only 18% are employed or self employed on full time or 3% were part time employed. The rest of the clients (1%) were pensioners or receive disability grants and aid and it was interesting that 0,5% classified themselves as housewives.

  • It is clear that dagga is by far the drug of choice with 37% within the reported treatment community.

  • A high percentage of clients report that either dagga or alcohol was the first substance ever used, which again will be in line with the highest reporting ages.

  • Dagga is the substance that accounts for 37% of the admissions during this period but there is a 1% decrease in admissions from the last reporting year. Alcohol is the second substance of choice (21%); then heroin & opiates at 14% and the mixture of nyaope /whoonga /sugers/ pinch at 13% of all the admissions for this period.

  • The sharp increase of nyaope abuse is problematic as it is a mixture of cannabis and low grade heroin. The health concerns have arisen as service users are reporting now that they inject the nyaope as well as a technique called “blue toothing”.

  • When looking at the National footprint, Gauteng treats the most clients (45%) and this can be ascribed to the high population density with 77% of the service users being treated on an Outpatient basis and 23% are treated on an Inpatient basis.

  • 30% of clients are self referred and 23% are referred by their families or friends. The school refer 19 % of all clients and then the employer at 8%. Only 5% are referred through the courts for diversion programmes. A small percentage of our clients are referred through the legal system.

HPCSA Sets 2012 Tariffs for Private Doctors

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What you should pay your GP
2012-08-12 10:00

Zinhle Mapumulo

Pricing of services in the private sector is abnormal and unacceptable, says Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi.

The Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has once again tried to set guidelines for what doctors in the private sector should charge – but its proposed fees may land it in hot water with the sector.

The guidelines outline what the council believes healthcare practitioners should charge patients for consultation, treatment and care.

Previous fee guidelines for the private sector have been booted aside in court or set aside in favour of newer documents.

The council says the new tariff guidelines are a fair interim measure that could end the current billing confusion in the private healthcare sector and protect patients from being overcharged.

But the South African Medical Association (SAMA) disagrees.

The association’s acting chairperson, Dr Mark Sonderup, said: “The new guidelines will create more problems than a solution because they are not realistic.

“The HPCSA met with us and other stakeholders last year to discuss the guidelines but it appears nothing we said was incorporated in the new guidelines.

“They failed to consider various factors that practitioners use when determining the tariffs, including the area they practise in.”

The HPCSA’s registrar, Dr Buyiswa Mjamba-Matshoba, explained: “The new tariff guidelines are not what doctors should charge but what they are expected to charge.

“The council is cognisant of the fact that practitioners have a right to charge fees commensurate with a number of factors such as their area of expertise, market segmentation of their client base and area in which they practise.

“However, the practitioner has a responsibility to inform the patient what he or she is charging, so that they can make an informed decision,” Mjamba-Matshoba said.

However, the council is planning to use the guidelines when adjudicating complaints of overcharging – so doctors will ultimately be held to them.
Most of the complaints the HPCSA receives each year from patients relate to overcharging.

The absence of tariff guidelines in South Africa’s private healthcare sector for the past two years has made it tough for the council to finalise these complaints.

The last private healthcare tariffs guideline was the National Health Reference Price List (NHRPL), which was declared invalid and set aside by the North Gauteng High Court in July 2010.

The court found that the processes relating to obtaining information, determining prices and publishing it were flawed, as not all stakeholders were
consulted.

Before that, there was the council’s ethical tariff guidelines, which were scrapped in 2008 when the NHRPL was published.

Sonderup said: “The new guidelines are taking the industry back to 2010. The R255 that the HPCSA expects GPs to charge is 10% below what they should be charging.

“We are disappointed by this whole exercise because it will take (us) back to (an) altercation that could have been prevented,” Sonderup said.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi has announced that the long-awaited pricing ­commission, which will regulate the private health sector, will be established next year.

Motsoaledi revealed this when he addressed delegates at a Board of Healthcare Funders meeting in KwaZulu-Natal last week.

He said: “The pricing of services in the private sector is abnormal and unacceptable – it must change.”

The Board of Healthcare Funders, which represents more than 80% of South Africa’s medical schemes, welcomed the minister’s announcement.

Fact box

The HPCSA has proposed a number of new tariffs for doctors and other health professionals working in the private sector. These are the prices you, as a patient, can expect to pay if the tariffs are adopted:

» GP consultation: R255

» Completion of chronic med form: R322

» Pregnancy ultrasound: R444

» Normal delivery and obstetric care from beginning of labour until post-partum: R2629 plus R351

» Exclusive attendance to a baby after C-section or normal delivery: R496

» Pre-anaesthetic assessment: R240

» C-section and obstetric care from beginning of labour until post-partum: R2489 plus R351

– City Press

Avandia Withdrawal

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VOLUNTARY WITHDRAWAL

Please note that GlaxoSmithKline has voluntarily decided to withdraw Avandia® 2mg and 4mg due to

cardiac safety concerns.

The product details affected are:

Product Form NAPPI Code

Avandia® 2mg TAB 899496

Avandia® 4mg TAB 899499

For any further information please contact GSK South Africa, (Pty) Limited on Tel: 011 745 6000 or Fax:

011 745 7495

 

brought to you by Medinol Practice Management Software

WCA Claims Back on Track

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Get Help With Your WCA Claims

We’re back on track. As of now, we can once again take “old” WCA claims off your shoulders and have these handled for you. So if you’re sick and tired, and getting nowhere with your WCA claims, simply hand them to us and get paid within 8 weeks. Do contact us on (021) 906 2296 to make collection/delivery arrangements.

We already have a number of successful collections under our belt. With claims going as far back as 2002!

Click the button below to learn more.
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Win a Plain Paper Fax Machine!

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You know intimately what Medinol can do for your practice. Refer a colleague (Doctor or Dentist) and get paid a finders fee. Simply email their name, email and telephone to us, and we will get in touch. Do not forget to include your own name and email. Medinol Practice Management Software.

PLUS:  Your name will be entered into a draw to Win a Plain Paper Fax Machine! valued at R2,995. The winner will be announced 9 December 2011. Good Luck.

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