MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Members of the public are invited to give their input on the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill this Wednesday, 25 October, at the D’Almeida Community Hall, Mossel Bay.

This is according to a statement from the DA Western Cape spokesperson on Health.

The session takes place from 09:00 to 12:00. The community hall is in Mossel Street, Extension 8.

Representatives of the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Health will be present to record the input from the public.

The public opinion recorded at this meeting will form part of the Western Cape’s negotiating mandate, which in turn will influence the vote on the NHI Bill in the National Council of Provinces, the statement noted.

This follows the conclusion of several other hearings in the province, at which a variety of concerns about the Bill were raised.

While some stood in support of the controversial piece of legislation, several residents and stakeholders drew attention to still-unanswered questions on how the Bill’s envisioned system of healthcare will be funded, and the sweeping powers it grants to the national minister of Health to determine the quality of healthcare, the DA Health spokesperson noted.

Overhaul

"At its core, the NHI Bill in its current state envisions an overhaul to the South African healthcare system under which virtually all medical procedures would be administered in government-controlled facilities, and financed by a single fund overseen by the national minister of Health. 

"However, the Department of Health has provided virtually no information on how exactly NHI will be funded, and given the fact that the country already finds itself almost bankrupt, it is difficult to imagine a scenario in which the NHI Bill’s passage does not destroy both the economy and the few functional areas of South African healthcare that currently exist," the DA Western Cape Health spokesperson said.

This hearing represents a vital opportunity for Western Cape residents to make their voices heard on a Bill that has the potential to drastically affect the future of South Africa’s healthcare system.

The spokesperson on Health says: “It is absolutely vital that residents come out in their numbers to make their voices heard. If passed into law, the NHI Bill would totally destroy the healthcare system in South Africa, and likely change the amount paid in taxes for millions of South Africans. Now is the time for all of us to place our opinion on record, and to take charge of the future of our country.”

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