Minister of Health, Dr Zweli Mkhize, says that the private sector will still have a role to play under the incoming National Health Insurance (NHI).<\/p>\n
In a statement<\/a> <\/strong>published on Wednesday (14 August), Mkhize said that private practices, pharmacies and hospitals will not be nationalised under the new health system.<\/p>\n He added that under the new system, South Africans will still be able to register their ‘preferred health provider’.<\/p>\n “Those who wish to serve as providers for the NHI will apply for accreditation and the NHI will reserve the right to procure services from private providers as well as the public sector facilities.<\/p>\n “In the current phase, discussions are advanced to enlist private family practitioners to support the NHI. Their positive support is overwhelming,” he said.<\/p>\n What the bill says about hospitals<\/strong><\/p>\n The updated NHI bill – published on 8 August – states that all South Africans covered under the bill must register as a user with the NHI fund at an ‘accredited health care service provider’ or ‘health establishment’.<\/p>\n Whenever users need to access healthcare, they will\u00a0first need to visit this primary facility. This facility may then refer the user to a specialist or another facility.<\/p>\n The bill states that if these \u2018referral pathways\u2019 are not followed, users\u00a0will not be covered by the NHI fund\u00a0and will have to\u00a0pay out of pocket or make use of a medical aid.<\/p>\n While the bill was originally unclear if these primary facilities would only be state-owned, the above statement from Mkhize seems to confirm that South Africans will also be able to register at private hospitals<\/strong> if they are approved for accreditation.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n According to the bill, the minimum set of requirements that need to be followed before a hospital is given accreditation include:<\/p>\n As previously covered, medical aids will also be prevented from covering services that will be covered under the NHI<\/a><\/strong>, limiting options for those seeking private healthcare.<\/p>\n\n
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