Image Source: Peoples Dispatch
South Africa – The National Health Insurance Bill (NHI) has long been a contentious issue, sparking concern among stakeholders, including political parties, business entities, and the general public.
Members of the newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU), particularly the Democratic Alliance, have been vocal in their opposition, often accusing the African National Congress (ANC) of using the bill as a political manoeuvre to garner support.
Now that they are coalition partners in the GNU, many wonder how they will address the numerous concerns, debates, and disputes surrounding the NHI Bill.
Despite past disagreements, Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) CEO Cas Coovadia commended the GNU parties for setting aside their political differences in favour of national interests. This commitment to collaborative governance prioritises the people’s needs and improves investor sentiment regarding the NHI.
However, during a roundtable discussion with top CEOs and political leaders, Coovadia revealed that serious concerns remain about the bill’s progression and potential implications, particularly regarding funding mechanisms, healthcare infrastructure, and increased taxation on businesses and individuals.
“We, together with the American Chamber of Commerce in New York, hosted a roundtable for President Ramaphosa and some ministers with about 25-30 top CEOs in the US. After we made our input, the bulk of the questions were around the NHI, and these weren’t people from the health sector. There was only one company from the health sector, and there was serious concern about how the NHI was progressing.”
“The route and approach we are suggesting, a collaborative one between the public and private sectors, will allay the fears of investors and improve investor confidence because we can all agree on how we do this in a sustainable way, how we fund it, and how we put ourselves on the road to universal healthcare.”
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BUSA’s Support for President Ramaphosa’s Remarks
In his recent parliamentary address, President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasised the need for collaboration between the public and private sectors to tackle the challenges of the NHI.
These remarks have received significant support from BUSA, stressing the importance of a cooperative approach. Coovadia believes that achieving universal health care requires collaboration between both sectors.
“In the public and private healthcare sector, we need to bring those together to maximise the input from both and leverage the resources and capacity that both have. One of our big problems with the act as it is now is that the act does not enable that. The act crowds out the private healthcare sector.”
“So, when the president said at the opening of Parliament that the public and private healthcare sectors must work together, we were very gratified with that. We will certainly look towards engaging the president, the minister of health, and others to see how we can work together.”
It is possible and practical for the public and private sectors to work together, as similar collaborations already exist in various fields. However, amendments to the Bill are necessary to achieve this, and serious discussions must take place to address all concerns effectively.
Coovadia stated that the models and mechanisms used in these sectoral partnerships have proven successful and can be replicated in the health sector to optimise and ensure the successful implementation of universal healthcare.
“We need to recognize the context we are in and have those discussions collaboratively to see how we can leverage existing resources and capacity. Then, we need to determine how to most effectively and sustainably fill the gaps. That’s one of the discussions we want to have with the government.”
