The Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) has lost its high court bid to interdict Netcare and Discovery Health from selling prepaid doctor consultation vouchers to South Africans who cannot afford medical aid.
The CMS had previously told both NetcarePlus and Discovery Health that they needed to cease selling their prepaid doctor consultation vouchers, which were both launched in 2020. In the directive, the industry regulator said the two companies were conducting the business of medical schemes without the requisite approval. The companies appealed the directive as part of an internal CMS process.
As the process unfolded, the CMS and the Registrar for Medical Schemes approached the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria in July 2022, asking for an order that the companies be restrained from selling their prepaid vouchers.