The Portfolio Committee on Health has voted to move forward with the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, reports News24, despite a negative response from many sectors of the population and businesses, and outright rejection by opposition parties.
Last Wednesday’s vote, at which all ANC MPs voted to move the Bill forward, was rejected by opposition MPs, who say it is unworkable in many ways and likely to be affected by corruption, among other factors.
Thousands of people have attended hundreds of public hearings to share their opposition or show support for the legislation, with opposition political parties saying NHI will not address healthcare inequalities in its current form.
The DA said the state would be left bankrupt by the insurance plan, with MP Michele Clarke adding that the Bill did not provide any solutions, and the state could not procure services ethically without corruption. The EFF shared similar concerns, saying the Bill lacked a clear outline of solutions to the country’s struggling healthcare system.
In a statement, the committee said it had held public hearings from October 2019 to February 2020, which 11,564 people attended. Further submissions, amounting to 961, were received, while 338,891 written submissions were processed. The committee said the department had addressed the concerns raised in the submissions.
The Bill will now be debated by Parliament, where it is likely to be voted on and passed.
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Tax credits worth R25bn to be phased out to fund NHI
NHI will ‘require time and excellent leadership’ – Discovery CEO Adrian Gore
‘Rage and grief’ as children die of malnutrition, while govt punts NHI that’s likely to fail
Submissions: NHI Bill has serious constitutional and human rights implications