There has been much controversy since President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law, in a move to provide South African citizens with “equal access” to health care services.
While some stakeholders believe it is a step in the right direction, others have deemed it to be “premature and unconstitutional”.
Ramaphosa said this was a pivotal moment in the transformation of the country, and a milestone in South Africa’s ongoing quest for a more just society.
He said the NHI Fund would procure services from public and private service providers to ensure that all South Africans had access to quality health care.
He added the next step would be the establishment of systems and necessary governance structures to implement the NHI based on the primary health care approach.
“The implementation of the NHI would be done in a phased approach, with key milestones in each phase, rather than an overnight event,” he said.
Medical doctors
