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The government says NHI will help the country with future pandemics.
- Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla said that National Health Insurance would improve the country.‘s response to future pandemics.
- Phaahla told the National Council of Provinces on Thursday that the NHI would eliminate the divide between public and private sector healthcare.
- Earlier this year, Parliament concluded hearings on the NHI bill.
Deputy Health Minister Joe Phaahla says the government’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) “will go a long way” in preparing the country for future pandemics.
On Thursday, he told delegates at the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) that the NHI would eliminate the divide between the public and private sectors, ensuring a much faster response to major pandemics like Covid-19.
Phaahla said that when Covid-19 reached the country’s shores, the government and health authorities needed to move quickly.
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“We have been doing a lot with very limited resources divided between the public and private health sector. In terms of long-term preparedness, we need to get all the resources … human resources, infrastructure, rather than hiring on the wing, volunteers and health professionals “.
Phaahla added that the government was also considering the possibility of entering into agreements with the private sector.
He said:
“Once we can put together all these resources to create a national health service, pandemics like Covid-19 will be handled with much more certainty because instead of spending time on negotiations and agreements, we would have this as a permanent agreement. With the financial resources that we could plan for laboratory and emergency services. ”
Earlier this year, the parliamentary health committee concluded hearings on the bill.
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During an engagement with the South African National Publishers Forum (Sanef) in June, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic was a critical pillar for the future of the country’s healthcare under the NHI. .
Ramaphosa’s comment was seen as the NHI’s strongest endorsement yet.
It was clear that the Covid-19 pandemic would not derail efforts to implement the controversial universal health care program.
Recently, officials from the national health department told Parliament that most clinics and primary health care centers could not operate 24 hours a day due to financial constraints, staff shortages and security.
They said that given the country’s current financial strain, it would have a difficult time adjusting the current budget to the health requirements of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The national health amendment bill, introduced as a private member bill by EFF MP Dr. Sophie Suzan Thembekwayo, proposed that government clinics operate 24 hours a day.
The department said that as resources became available, more clinics could conduct 24-hour operations.
