New tariffs to boost public healthcare revenue
The Ministry of Health and Social Services Esperance Luvindao has approved new tariffs for government health facilities as it seeks to generate additional revenue for reinvestment into patient care she said on Thursday.
Luvindao said public health facilities were still operating under outdated tariffs despite providing high-quality services at relatively low rates.
Luvindao was responding to an urgent question from Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) leader McHenry Venaani on the government’s initiative for MPs and government officials to use public healthcare facilities. The initiative was announced to take effect on 1 April 2026, with Venaani asking whether it had been implemented, how much money had been saved and what remained to be done.
“Yes, it is working. It’s working very well. We’re seeing quite an uptake,” she said. She added that members of the public had also increasingly opted to use government health facilities because they are more affordable while maintaining a high standard of care.
“We have seen lots of admissions,” she said. Luvindao further stated that the ministry conducted an assessment last month, while its finance team was finalising the revenue figures for presentation to her. However, she identified the outdated tariffs as one of the limitations affecting the ministry’s ability to generate revenue from the increased use of public health facilities. She said patients were receiving high-quality services while still being charged according to the previous tariffs.
“As an example, you get admitted in what looks like a five-star facility and the goal was so that we can generate money, so that we can reinvest in healthcare, but you are being charged, as an example, 500, 200, 800,” she said.
Luvindao said the ministry had therefore reviewed the tariffs, which have now been approved.
The new tariffs were expected to have been gazetted through the Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations last month, but the ministry has since been informed that they are expected to be gazetted by the middle of September.
She said the revised tariffs would help the ministry ensure it receives value from the services provided, rather than simply recording increased admissions.
