Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) registrar and CEO Dr Humphrey Zokufa died on Sunday after a short illness‚ the council said on Monday. Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi sent his condolences to Zokufa's family‚ and expressed his sadness.
"His death is a great loss to the health sector in general and the medical scheme industry in particular‚" the minister said in a statement.
"We struggled a great deal in getting the most suitable Registrar for CMS and unfortunately now he is gone with the wealth of experience and skills he possesses."
Dr Zokufa worked for CMS for about three months‚ following the departure of Dr Monwabisi Gantsho‚ who left under a cloud.
Prior to his appointment to the CMS‚ Zokufa had been the MD of the Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa (BHF) for almost 11 years.
"His energy and passion for an optimal and effective regulatory framework in the private healthcare industry was clear. He was firm in his belief that National Health Insurance (NHI) is not a pipe dream and his dedication‚ commitment and vision to lead the private healthcare sector into participating in the NHI was his priority‚" said Dr Elsabé Conradie‚ the CMS’s GM for stakeholder relations.
The CMS would continue with its organisational functioning under chief financial officer Daniel Lehutjo‚ who will be acting registrar in the interim.
Zokufa will be buried on Saturday in Pretoria.
- TMG Digital and BusinessLIVE
Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.