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BL Premium reports that news that President Cyril Ramaphosa will sign the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law on Wednesday has been met with dismay by organised business and healthcare professionals.
Business Unity SA (Busa) said it was deeply concerned by the development, as it believed the legislation was unimplementable and would damage the health system, the economy and investor confidence. The bill was presented to Ramaphosa for consideration in December 2023. Busa has lobbied hard against the bill, saying that while it supported the need for reform, the legislation was unworkable, unaffordable and at odds with the constitution. It previously expressed dismay that the submissions it made during the bill’s passage through parliament were ignored, and petitioned the President directly after it was passed by the legislature in December. Busa CEO Cas Coovadia said the organisation would consider its options after the President’s announcement on Wednesday. The NHI Bill sets in motion the ANC government’s plan for implementing universal health coverage, which aims to create a single health system in which patients receive care that is free at the point of delivery. The bill is the first piece of enabling legislation for the plan, and paves the way for the creation of a government-controlled NHI Fund, which will be the sole purchaser of services provided under the scheme. The government has yet to specify how the Fund will be financed. The SA Health Professionals Collaboration (SAHPC), a group of nine medical, dental and allied healthcare professional organisations representing more than 25,000 individuals, said it was profoundly disappointed that the bill was to be signed into law.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Tamar Kahn at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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