Profmed CEO Craig Comrie said the NHI Bill lacks a proper funding model and gives too much control to the Health Minister, and that Profmed’s opposition to it lies largely with its funding model.
The lowest estimate for NHI currently is around R450bn, which could go up to around R800bn, he told Daily Investor.
“We already have around R260bn in the public sector healthcare budget,” he said. “There’s no real move to budget for the additional at least R160bn.”
Additionally, “we don’t believe the Health Minister should have total control over that single pot of money”.
“The easiest example to explain it is probably the example of Eskom – that you have a single provider and distributor of electricity is exactly the template the government is moving away from in terms of electricity provision.”
“Yet, in the healthcare sector, we’re doing exactly the opposite.”
Comrie’s concerns mirror Wits School of Governance Professor Alex van den Heever, who said the possibilities for corruption in the government’s proposed NHI scheme are endless.
“The concern is that the real reason for this is to consolidate power in one organisation that will result, in its ultimate form, in R600bn being under the control of the Health Minister. That is just wrong,” Van den Heever had said.
“It is the design that has collapsed pretty much everything that we have in the state at the moment.
“The possibilities for corruption are endless. People are largely concerned because they feel this is the purpose behind it. That this is not intended to improve healthcare.”
He added that it would be naive to think otherwise.
“The state remains captured. It is not a state that has moved away from systemic corruption. It is deeply embedded in the way everything operates at the moment.”
Daily Investor article – NHI funds should not be in government’s hands – Profmed CEO (Open access)
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
Strong support for curbs to Health Minister’s powers in proposed NHI
NHI scheme will open doors to corruption
NHI ‘will lead to emigration, corruption’