Most attendees at hearings conducted across the Eastern Cape last week by the provincial Health Committee to solicit communities’ views on the National Health Insurance (NHI), supported the Bill, while others complained about lack of service delivery, and the EFF slammed it as “unconstitutional”.
Parliament has been conducting hearings on the Bill since 2021, and NHI has been piloted in the OR Tambo region, where the hearings were conducted last Friday.
Although most of those at the hearings in Mthatha supported the Bill, reports News24, the main opposition parties in the province rejected it.
One resident asked the portfolio committee where the money to implement the NHI would come from, as the country was divided between the super-rich and the poor.
He said the obvious answer was that the rich should be taxed heavily to fund the poor, and called for the Bill to be fast-tracked.
“The government needs to pull up its socks when it comes to the issue of this NHI. We can’t be talking about the same thing forever. People need proper health care now.”
Another community member said although she had medical aid, it was usually finished by July, and she was then forced to use state healthcare.
“My only problem is that it seems like the government has rushed to implement this Bill and has not addressed the challenges of infrastructure in our facilities.
“We have a huge problem of staff shortages, decaying infrastructure and services that are non-existent, where an ambulance is either not available or takes forever to arrive.”
Simthembile Madikizela, provincial secretary of the EFF, said the Bill was unconstitutional, and with the government planning to establish a board to run the NHI, appointed by Health Minister Joe Phaahla, “it will be like the SAA board, Transnet board, and many other failed state boards”.
“What is clear is that the NHI is going to be controlled by the state, which is currently struggling to control anything.
“Not a single entity run by government is functioning properly. Worst of all is the Post Office, which is failing to pay pensioners. It’s failing to do anything, meaning that the current government is failing to run anything.”
He said the NHI – worth billions of rands – was just another thing the government would run into the ground.
“The health system is in crisis, more so in rural provinces like the Eastern Cape… The Bill is an unconstitutional arrangement, and will not benefit the majority of our people, who are currently disadvantaged,” he said.
Jane Cowley, DA spokesperson on health in the Eastern Cape, said the Bill was nothing but a political ploy ahead of the elections.
“It’s a band-aid for a gunshot and will sadly not address any of the critical issues in health. It is likely to pass because the ANC is marketing it in a dangerously populist way – typical pre-election big promises that, sadly, will end up being another monumental failure.”
She said there was already a brain drain of medical professionals from the public and private sectors, due to poor remuneration and even poorer working conditions.
“We have a nurse-to-patient ratio of 1: 224 in South Africa. No amount of money or magic wand-waving will resolve that dilemma in the next two to three decades.
“Infrastructure has all but collapsed due to inept and corrupt supply chain sections in all public works departments.”
The real purpose of the Bill and the timing was to try to shift the focus away from the collapsed health system instead of trying to fix it, she added, apart from which, it was also politically expedient.
“We can’t fix any of this until we clean up how we manage health in South Africa. The track record for the past 15 years has been appalling.
“EMS will only work when corruption in overtime is addressed and nobody has the political will to mop up the mess or hold anyone to account.
“Also, ambulance shortages will only be addressed when posts are filled so that the ambulances can be manned. But the money linked to these posts is being used to settle debts with creditors.
“Sadly, nobody will benefit if the Bill becomes an Act. … while some people believe it can happen, won’t last long, and we will be back to square one.”
Dr Fundisile Bese, chairperson of the Health Committee, said they had been crisscrossing the province in their quest to hear people’s views on the NHI.
He said people were very positive, saying it was long overdue.
“They want it implemented soon,” he said, adding it could come into effect by 2029.
“Serious problems have been raised regarding the shortage of ambulances, staff and infrastructure. However, the NHI is the bottom line. It is going to address those challenges to make sure people are benefiting.
“It will encompass almost everything in … infrastructure, employment of more staff and increasing the capacity within the Department of Health.”
See more from MedicalBrief archives:
SA needs R200bn to fix hospitals before NHI roll-out, says Phaahla
‘Rage and grief’ as children die of malnutrition, while govt punts NHI that’s likely to fail
Corruption-busting Eastern Cape Health HoD sidelined by premier
NHI restructuring will impact 130 000 jobs