Ramaphosa forging ahead with NHI

President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that government is forging head with the implementation of the National Health Insurance Act, and will kickstart the process by establishing a single electronic health record.

This first phase will form part of the preparatory work done by a ministerial advisory committee on NHI, led by health minister Aaron Motsoaledi, to determine the necessary technologies and healthcare benefits for the full implementation of the NHI.

An accreditation framework for health service providers will also be established, he said in his state of the nation address on Thursday.   

Despite the tensions the NHI has caused, particularly among his government of national unity (GNU) partners such as the DA, Ramaphosa stressed the need to work towards quality healthcare for all.   

“The NHI will reduce inequalities in healthcare by ensuring everyone gets fair treatment. It will save many lives by providing a package of services that include, for example, maternal and newborn care and services for people living with HIV, those with TB, and those suffering from noncommunicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.”

According to Ramaphosa, his government’s most immediate priority is to strengthen the health system and improve its quality.  

“A vital part of this is the modernisation, improvement and maintenance of existing health facilities and construction of new hospitals and clinics. A number of hospitals are under construction or undergoing revitalisation.”  

These include the Limpopo Central Hospital and the Siloam District Hospital in Limpopo, the Dihlabeng Regional Hospital in Free State, the Bambisana District Hospital and Zithulele District Hospital in Eastern Cape, and the Bophelong Psychiatric Hospital in North West.  

He told parliament that other projects are at various stages of design and development.  

“This includes the replacement of three existing old central hospitals, three new central hospitals, five new district hospitals, five community health centres and a new psychiatric hospital.”

DA leader and cabinet minister John Steenhuisen had threatened to not support the budget should it contain the NHI in its current form.  

This week, he announced that his party's protest against the NHI in its current form has yielded temporary results, having reportedly received an undertaking that provisions that would cause the termination of private medical aids have now been taken out of the government’s medium-term plan.

“We are insisting that private medical aids must remain as they are, separate from any government scheme. We look forward to working with the president and the ministerial advisory committee to put in place alternatives to the NHI in its current form that will provide all South Africans with access to quality healthcare, regardless of their socioeconomic background,” he said.

The president revealed that the improvement of the patient experience is a priority, including plans to reduce waiting times, cleanliness and staff attitudes in public health facilities.

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