Free health care for people with disabilities, as announced by President Thabo Mbeki earlier this year, will come into operation on July 1, Health Minister Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang announced on Tuesday.
Outlining details of the benefit during debate on her budget vote in the National Assembly, she said it would cover out-patient visits to hospitals as well as admissions, and include disability aids such as wheelchairs and hearing aids.
The benefit would include people who have permanent disabilities that result in moderate to severe difficulty in living a normal life.
It will include older persons who were considered to be frail and long-term patients in institutions for mental health care. However, the benefits will not be available to people who have medical aid cover, have a temporary disability, or who have chronic illnesses that do not cause substantial loss of functional ability, she said.
There is presently a backlog in the supply of wheelchairs and hearing aids, but the department aims to eliminate this over the next year by spending about R30-million to help those presently on waiting lists.
This meant that provinces would be responsible, under the free health care policy, only for replacement devices and for assisting those newly disabled, Tshabalala-Msimang said. – Sapa