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BusinessLive reports that in a pragmatic move to tackle one of the most pressing problems confronting public healthcare, the Treasury has shifted unspent National Health Insurance (NHI) funds to provinces so they can fill critical posts.
“Implementing NHI is a policy priority for the sector. However, the government needs to address staff shortages and other problems in public health facilities before the policy can be fully rolled out,” the Treasury said in its 2019 budget review. Ahead of his budget speech on Wednesday, finance minister Tito Mboweni said one of the most pressing issues was the poor state of public hospitals. He noted: “We need simple, effective interventions. We need more doctors and nurses.” So, the Treasury has moved R2.8bn out of the NHI indirect grant over the next three years to fill critical public-healthcare posts, including interns and community service positions. This will be achieved through a new human resource capacitation conditional grant, which means the funds are ring-fenced and provinces cannot use them for other purposes. An extra R1bn has been added to the provincial equitable share in 2021/2022 to fund the permanent appointment of interns, while a further R1bn has been added to improve pay for community healthcare workers and bring their remuneration in line with the minimum wage.
- Read the original of Tamar Kahn’s report on this story in full at BusinessLive
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