Government has welcomed the private sectors’ commitment to work to ensure the successful implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI). This came out the Second Presidential Health summit held in Boksburg East of Johannesburg.
The two-day meeting was attended by stakeholders in the health sector to discuss the readiness of the country’s healthcare system to implement the NHI.
“We were also fortunate in that we put the legislative wheels for NHI in motion before the pandemic had struck. The National Health Insurance Bill was introduced in Parliament in August 2019 and has been processed through the parliamentary programme since then. The Bill is expected to be debated in the National Assembly by June 2023 and then considered in the National Council of Provinces,” says, Cyril Ramaphosa.
NHI will ensure access to quality health care for all.
“The journey towards achieving NHI requires working with key stakeholders to prepare the health system of our country to accommodate the entire population in one system and ensure all can access quality health care. Our vision is to create a world health system, accessible to all citizens regardless of their socio-economic status.”
Those opposed to the NHI have raised concerns that it will decimate the private practice and limit choices for the South Africans. However, President Ramaphosa has denied this saying that they are willing to work with the private sector to ensure the success of the NHI.
President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address at the health summit:
