The FF Plus has persuaded Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Health to grant opposition parties more time to obtain their own legal opinions on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, after the committee last week refused to allow them any additional time.
The party’s legal team delivered a letter to Parliament over the weekend insisting that, among other things, parties must be given enough time to obtain legal opinions, arguing that state and parliamentary advisers had been given two months to compile their legal opinions, while the opposition had just two days. It has asked for an extension until 19 April.
The FF Plus and other parties – the DA and the EFF – had walked out of last week’s meeting in protest against the committee's refusal to grant the extension, according to PoliticsWeb.
At a meeting last week (Wednesday) the Portfolio Committee tabled the letter, which made it clear that despite the committee's majority decision, the party would proceed to obtain its own legal opinion on the matter. This would then be submitted to the Office of the Speaker, the chairperson of Parliament as well as the chairperson of the Portfolio Committee.
The committee postponed the meeting to 5 April.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Opposition parties walk out in protest during NHI meeting
Conflicting legal views present another hurdle in NHI Bill discussions
Current version of NHI Bill risks continuation of status quo