The South African Medical Association (SAMA) says it will have an audience with Dr Aaron Motsoaledi, minister of health, to discuss National Health Insurance (NHI). The organisation is one of nine challenging the programme in court.
“As recently as January 15 2026, SAMA met with the minister of health on separate matters and both parties agreed to schedule a dedicated engagement on the NHI,” it said in a statement this week, without mentioning a date for the planned meeting.
The association, representing more than 13 000 medical practitioners in both the public and private sectors, said the current impasse over the scheme could only be overcome through “continued, meaningful engagement with Government and key stakeholders who are integral to the healthcare ecosystem”.
Last week, finance minister Enoch Godongwana called for an out-of-court settlement. “It is my submission that these parties must meet and craft a settlement. We want to move ahead with the implementation of the NHI. These court cases are going to delay it for more years,” he told Parliament.
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Signed into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2024, the Act aims to provide free, universal access to healthcare. The programme is expected to cost between R300 billion and R1.3 trillion, which the government expects will be funded through taxes.
While proponents have argued that healthcare is a human right and not a luxury, opponents reason that the scheme will burden taxpayers while reducing the quality of healthcare and placing too much power in the health minister’s hands.
In a case brought by trade union Solidarity, the Gauteng High Court in 2024 ruled that sections of the Act were irrational and unconstitutional. The matter has since escalated to the Constitutional Court, where judgment has been reserved since September 2025.
Image: Health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi. Credit: National Department of Health/ Facebook.
