Health Minister Zweli Mkhize has disputed suggestions that the National Health Insurance (NHI) will bankrupt the country.
He says it’s disappointing that there are campaigns to spread incorrect information about the NHI.
Since announcement of the NHI Bill a robust national discourse has ensued. There has been a concerted campaign from some parties to spread false information intended to scare people into believing that the NHI is a monster that will destroy everything that currently exists
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) August 26, 2019
Mkhize has been speaking during the opening of the three-day Hospital Association of South Africa conference in Cape Town.
He says an additional R30 billion will be needed to fund the National Health Insurance by 2026. That’s above the current allocations in the budget.
The NHI will be implemented in phases over the next few years and the package of health services offered will be tailored to what the available resources will afford.
— Dr Zweli Mkhize (@DrZweliMkhize) August 26, 2019
Mkhize says it’s expected that the NHI will be fully implemented by 2026 in South Africa.
“The cost for the next five years is already in the budget allocation that we have right now and it is envisaged that by 2026, there may be a shortfall of about R30 billion that Treasury is working on. But future costs will be finalized as Treasury concludes the work they are doing. It is a fallacy to postulate that the NHI will bankrupt the country. The NHI Fund will be administered by qualified and competent professionals carefully selected and appropriately trained to run an efficient operation.”
