Speaker, it is unfortunate that the Minister of Health is not here to reply to his own remarks. The high costs in the private sector can be attributed to the lack of regulation by the department itself, and the Minister and Deputy Ministers failing to do their duty in regulating the private sector.
If we are to improve the quality of health care in the public sector, we will need the expertise of the private sector. Labelling them "monsters" and "brutal" is not only destructive, but reminds us of our recent past, where the previous Minister would have made such irresponsible statements.
Our top priority must be to bring together both health sectors in order to improve the quality of health care for all in this country. In order to show his commitment and maturity in achieving this goal, the Minister should apologise unconditionally for his remarks to the private sector.