Zuko Komisa
National insurance Bill has been passed by the national assembly.
According to Health minister, Dr. Joe Phaahla, the 2019 NHI Bill, which was submitted in Parliament, lays the groundwork for significant reforms that are required in the nation.
The National insurance Bill received 205 votes in favor and 125 votes against from MPs.
The National Health Insurance Bill establishes a fund that will be used to pay for practically all medical treatment from qualified providers, with prices to be decided by the state, with the goal of ensuring that all South Africans have access to high-quality healthcare services.
Only items and services not covered by the fund will be covered by private insurers.
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This opens the door for the government to move on with Universal Health Coverage (UHC), since the Bill will now be submitted to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP).
“This in itself is a major milestone. We’ve been on this path over a long period, almost 12 to 14 years, starting with policy development and was also delayed by the advent of the pandemic after it was submitted to Parliament.”
“It’s a major milestone in a sense that since the advent of democratic South Africa, in the health sector, we focused on improving access from the time of President [Nelson] Mandela. Policy decisions were taken in terms of free access to healthcare for pregnant women and children under the age of six and subsequently opening primary healthcare service free of charge for all users.”
“Private health and public health travelling on parallel tracks but both surely going toward crashing while if they can be pooled together there is a good chance of complementing each other,” said Phaahla.
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