WORLDVIEW: SA’s old and new worlds head for a long overdue healthcare clash

Retail isn't for sissies. If you aren't being robbed blind by shoplifters, then the shop assistants are. And if the wage earners aren't supplementing their income through your stock, watch out for other income supplements like credit card "skimming" machines.

Among our less successful entrepreneurial ventures was owning a health shop. Apart from shrinkage, the other challenge we struggled to overcome was regulation, or rather, the lack of it. When we were in business, South Africa's reputable health product manufacturers were fighting a losing battle against a flood of modern day equivalent snake oil salesmen.

Healthcare in SA is where modernity meets tradition. Now that long-overdue regulation is looming, friction is growing. My Biznews colleague Chris Bateman shares how highly-contested proposed regulation governing 250,000 traditional health practitioners reminded him of his own experiences of odd cultural beliefs.

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