The Western Cape Health MEC, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, voiced concerns about the NHI Bill reforms and urged President Cyril Ramaphosa to send the bill back to parliament.
Also read: Western Cape stands alone in opposition as NCOP passes NHI Bill
In a recent social media post, the MEC outlined her concerns as follows:
- The centralisation of power
- The governance and accountability of the NHI Fund
- The role of provinces
- The legal concerns in the bill
- The potential for NHI to prevent the creation of a unified health system that is strategically aligned
‘As the Western Cape, we will continue to engage our national counterparts on this issue because the general and constitutional concerns of the NHI must be addressed. Mr President, use your power to send the Bill back to parliament,’ she stated.
During his State of the Nation Address on Thursday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa noted that the NHI Bill arrived on his desk and stated, ‘I’m going through the Bill. I’m looking for a pen!’
The NHI is aimed at providing free healthcare for South Africans, whether in public or private health facilities.
‘We plan to incrementally implement the NHI, dealing with issues like health system financing, the health workforce, medical products, vaccines and technologies, and health information systems,’ he said.
The bill now only requires his signature for enactment.
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On 7 December 2023, the health and wellness MEC and Premier Alan Winde called on the president not to sign the bill and instead to refer it back to the National Assembly for reconsideration ‘for its major practical and constitutional concerns to be addressed’.
‘While our country requires health reform [for it] to achieve Universal Health Coverage, the Bill in its current form is not the vehicle that will get us there,’ she stated at the time.
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Picture: WC Govt Health and Wellness MEC Prof Nomafrench Mbombo / Facebook