The signing of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill recently took place. Bloemfontein Courant’s Justine Fortuin spoke to an expert to find out how the implementation of the NHI Bill will affect the political landscape in South Africa. She also spoke to a few community members to hear what their take is on the Bill and how it will affect them.
Thuto Pitso:“I am less informed about the NHI, but what I gathered from my doctor is that he hopes it takes 10 years before it can be implemented because if it works then the government will now own private surgeons and they might lose their jobs because they are too old. So now young doctors are going to be employed and they will be jobless. Yet again, it’s not fair to taxpayers to pay more tax. Their salaries are going to decrease so that the NHI can [assist] everyone. Currently, private hospitals don’t have enough space to accommodate us who have medical aids, what is going to happen when everyone now has the right to go anywhere they like, I even question if the services hospitals offer will still be the same? I honestly don’t support it, the government must just focus on creating job opportunities for us to choose medical aids that we can afford.”
Jeanré du Preez: “The NHI Bill is basically a law that will assist all South Africans to have access to quality healthcare, as 80% of South Africans (according to a study) do not have access to proper/private healthcare. I have a medical aid yes. I might not understand the effect 100%, but providing by what I have read about this, it will have an impact on the tax that I (we as South Africans) pay, just to begin with. South Africa does not have the funds to implement the Bill, therefore we as South Africans will pay for it, so, a massive tax implication. I have to add that the entire NHI Bill and what it stands for is a positive, but where my doubts come in is with the implementation thereof, which I do not have confidence in the government to use my tax money, to make sure it actually goes for what it is needed for.”
Adri van Veijeren: “With NHI the government says it wants poor people to have access to the same medical help as rich people who have medical aid. I have a medical aid. Private hospitals already don’t have enough beds for medical aid patients. I don’t know how they will be able to accommodate more people. I will possibly struggle to get hospitalised and to get appointments at medical specialists, already overworked in many cases. More doctors will probably leave the country, because they (and hospitals) stand the high risk of not being paid by government at all. There is not one example of a well-run state entity.”
Clement Litlhare: “I think the National Health Insurance Bill is a bill which will make it easier and allow less privileged individuals to have access to quality health care and facilities. I don’t have a medical aid. It will benefit me in terms of accessing health benefits that are in private facilities, normally only accessible to paying individuals. There is proper administration in private health services compared to public services where there are even shortages of doctors. So, I believe that this will make it easier for the less privileged, to have access to quality healthcare services. Hopefully, the role of the Bill will be done successfully because the state is currently failing to maintain public health care services.”
Kgosi Motsepe: “The NHI Bill is aimed at providing affordable quality healthcare to all South Africans. The Bill is aimed at helping to ease an already overburdened healthcare system in South Africa and bringing in the private sector to assist. I have medical aid and I believe it will definitely make my monthly premiums lower, all the while helping other South Africans in need.”
Bonolo Moloi: “Simply put, the NHI Bill is promising free medical care to all South African citizens because access to good medical care is a basic human right. I do have medical aid, but I can’t say if it would be good or bad because we have yet to see how they plan to implement it. However, I know some people are concerned about it taking more of their taxes, and it possibly decreasing the quality of healthcare.”
Justine Fortuin
Justine@mahareng.co.za
