Despite the many legal challenges impeding its proclamation, implementation of the National Health Act will proceed as planned, according to President Cyril Ramaphosa last week in the National Assembly.
IOL reports that the President’s comments came in a question and answer session, during which EFF leader Julius Malema queried the government’s commitment to the NHI and the steps taken to ensure the health system was prepared for its rollout.
Ramaphosa said legal challenges, to be heard in May, will not disrupt the timeline for implementation or stop ongoing preparatory work by the Department of Health.
“This undertaking, which has been made an order of court, will not affect the timetable …Work has been going on up to and including improving our infrastructure,” he said.
He added that this was “important to put across so that those who are opposed should know that what we are seeking to do is not just a pipe dream”.
Since the assent of the NHI Act, he said, health officials had been busy with a range of preparatory work initiatives, including rolling out the digital systems required to trace patients between different doctors or health centres in both the public and the private sectors.
Practical interventions to improve healthcare quality and accessibility included significant infrastructure investments, like rebuilding old hospitals and constructing new ones, along with health centres and clinics.
“This is … alongside measures being taken to improve hospital governance as well, and the national and provincial departments are also focusing on the employment of doctors, other health professionals and community health workers.”
He said some changes were complex and far-reaching, and needed implementation “on a phased basis”.
Malema pointed out that the EFF had proposed a Bill providing for clinics to be open 24 hours, but this was rejected by the ANC at the time.
“Our people cannot wait for postponement of the implementation of the NHI, because they are sick now…We must be seen to be doing something now, not in 2030,” he said.
Ramaphosa responded that the proposal was ideal – but the issue was there had to be personnel in those clinics, like nurses and ideally a doctor on standby.
And unfortunately, the challenge was funding as the government could not employ enough doctors due to a lack of finances.
IOL article – Ramaphosa insists NHI is a realistic goal for South Africa (Open access)
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