NHI is pushing ahead: Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa says that the government is forging ahead with the state’s National Health Insurance scheme, making no mention of any changes to the laws.

Delivering his State of the Nation Address(SONA) on Thursday (6 February), the president said that the NHI will provide quality healthcare for all and save lives.

Therefore, the state will “proceed with the preparatory work for the establishment of the NHI,” he said.

This includes developing the first phase of a single electronic health record, preparatory work to establish Ministerial Advisory Committees on health technologies and health care benefits, and an accreditation framework for health service providers.

The president’s speech briefly mentioned the NHI, sidestepping reports of changes to the NHI laws that would ensure the continuation of medical aid and the role of the private sector in the scheme.

Instead, Ramaphosa stuck to the main themes that the government has been repeating over the years as it pushed the controversial scheme through – such as reducing inequality and saving lives through fair treatment.

“The NHI will save many lives by providing a package of services that include, for example, maternal and newborn care and services for people living with HIV, those with TB, and those suffering from non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes,” the president said.

“Our most immediate priority is to strengthen the health system and improve the quality of care.”

The president said that a vital part of this goal is the modernisation, improvementand maintenance of existing health facilities and construction of new hospitals and clinics.

A number of hospitals are under construction or undergoing revitalisation.

These include the Limpopo Central Hospital and the Siloam District Hospital in Limpopo, the Dihlabeng Regional Hospital in Free State, the Bambisana District Hospital and Zithulele District Hospital in Eastern Cape, and the Bophelong Psychiatric Hospital in North West.

“Other projects are at various stages of design and development. This includes the replacement of three existing old central hospitals, three new central hospitals, five new district hospitals, five community health centres and a new psychiatric hospital,” he said.

To improve patient experience, he said the state is putting more emphasis on reducing waiting times, cleanliness and staff attitudes in public health facilities.

No mention of medical aids

Ramaphosa elected to skip on mentioning any developments around the NHI Act and the contestations within the Government of National Unity.

Specifically, there was no mention of possible plans to remove certain sections of the law that have proven to be the most controversial, such as effectively removing medical aids from the picture.

According to a News24 report, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Minister Maropene Ramokgopa confirmed that parties within the GNU reached a compromise that could ease fears about the future of private medical schemes under the NHI.

These talks were later confirmed by the parties involved, though there has been no official announcement of potential changes or formalised processes.

However, while Ramaphosa did not confirm any changes to come, his mention of the advisory committees being established aligns with the reports that further discussions will be driven through these structures.