Health Dept: Claims report ‘inconsistencies’ reason for COVID-19 payment delays
The Department of Health has blamed inconsistencies in claim reports from independent pharmacies for the delay in payments for work done during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The independent pharmacies assisted the government by providing vaccinations to the public, which eased the pressure on public health facilities.
Recently, there have been reports that the department is refusing to pay and giving the independent pharmacies the runaround.
However, Health Departmental spokesperson Foster Mohale has squashed these claims, stating that they want to pay the parties what they are owed.
“There is no doubt that independent pharmacies have been vital partners in ensuring vaccine accessibility across South Africa, a collaboration essential for the envisioned success of the National Health Insurance which aims to provide equitable healthcare access to all citizens,” Mohale said.
“One of the reconciliation challenges arose because the ICPA advised pharmacies to extract a seventh dose from COVID-19 vaccine vials using specialised low dead space syringes and needles, a practice not approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority or the Department of Health.”
Mohale said they noticed discrepancies in stock management and compliance issues, impacting the accuracy of claims and payments to pharmacies.
“Another significant problem was that vaccinators, working at multiple sites, were not properly verified by the pharmacies, resulting in vaccinations being recorded under incorrect locations. In an effort to assist individuals to obtain vaccination certificates, some pharmacies recorded vaccinations for people who were actually vaccinated elsewhere.
“Unauthorised stock transfers between pharmacies contributed to discrepancies in stock figures, necessitating post-event reconciliation to align stock with vaccinations administered.
“These inaccuracies have complicated the reconciliation of claims and impacted the credits that should be passed to the affected pharmacies,” added Mohale.
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