NATIONAL NEWS - The KwaZulu-Natal provincial Legislature on Tuesday approved the National Health (NHI) Bill seeking to create a single healthcare system where the government will be the provider of the bulk of the country’s health services.
Intended to make quality healthcare accessible to the poor, the NHI Bill — which in July was approved by the National Assembly — is currently being processed by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP), which has forwarded it to the country’s nine provincial legislatures for input.
While KZN MPLs were divided over the NHI issue, the bill was approved after most MPLs backed the measure during Tuesday’s special sitting held at the KZN Legislature in Pietermaritzburg.
As things stand, low-income patients who cannot afford private healthcare services are compelled to rely on public health services, where the standard of care is currently lower than that of private healthcare facilities.
If passed into law, the NHI Bill will create a single health system.
Speaking during the debate on the NHI Bill, ANC MPL, Nozipho Mavuso, said the ruling party supported the measure’s objectives given that they were in line with the ANC’s beliefs that citizens should have equal access to quality healthcare.
“It [the bill] places the agenda for equality at the centre of the healthcare system. It will transform the fragmented health system,” she said.
In their support of the bill, ANC MPLs were joined by those of the MF, ACDP and NFP.
On the other hand, the DA and EFF — which did not participate in the debate — both voted against the bill. The IFP, which abstained from voting, described the measure as “vague”.
While IFP supports universal access to healthcare, we have serious concerns about governance issues around the NHI moving forward. We know what kind of history the government has in terms of managing funds. We have seen failed state enterprises. For the NHI to succeed you need to have a high rate of employment.
“There is no clarity on what services will fall under NHI and what services will fall under the medical aid schemes,” IFP MPL, Ncamisile Nkwanyana, said.
DA MPL, Edwin Baptie, described the bill as undemocratic.
“The ANC government’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill is one that centralises all purchasing and payment for health services in the country, in the hands of government, with enormous power in the hands of the minister of Health.
“It is an anti-democratic, anti-competition system based on the mythical belief that placing total control in government’s hands is the most effective way to deliver a quality service. If the myth being postulated by the ANC was true, South Africa’s people would not be living with an economy in decline, a young population largely unemployed, collapsing energy production, water services in crisis, transport and logistics in deep trouble and mining and agriculture in decline. In essence, the ANC wants to do to healthcare what it did to Eskom,” he said.
Apart from the DA-controlled Western Cape Legislature, all other eight provincial legislatures are in support of the bill.
Article: Caxton publication, The Witness
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