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Johannesburg - Proposed amendments to laws regarding medicine patents should be supported as they promote access to affordable health care, the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) said on Tuesday.
Managing director Humphrey Zokufa said in a statement that in 2012 R103bn was paid out to health care providers.
Of the total amount, R16.3bn was paid out for medicines dispensed out of hospitals and R40bn was paid out to hospitals, a significant percentage of which was for medicines supplied in hospitals.
"It is for this reason that BHF would like to see legislative reform that allows for lower single exit price (SEP) for medicines, more generics to be used and for the private sector to be able to access medicines at the state tender price," Zokufa said.
The SEP is the maximum price that can be charged for a particular medicine, excluding dispensing fees.
The BHF represents the majority of medical schemes in South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.
The organisation supported Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi's call for reform of the pharmaceutical patent laws and a review of all legislation that stood in the way of the public's right to affordable and accessible health care.
The section of the draft national policy on intellectual property relating to health calls for the weakening of medicine patent laws, which would drive down prices for a range of medications, including antiretrovirals and tuberculosis treatment.
Motsoaledi last week labelled an alleged attempt to thwart the adoption of the proposed legislation "genocide".
According to a media report on Friday a consultancy group, Public Affairs Engagement (PAE) planned to oppose the policy by channelling the nature of public discourse around the policy through a massive public relations exercise directed from outside the country.
PAE apparently did this on behalf of the Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of SA (Ipasa), which represents a number of international drug companies operating in South Africa.
Ipasa issued a statement, saying it rejected PAE's plan, which intended to send the message that the policy could threaten investment and have negative economic and social consequences.
