The Western Cape is the only province in the country to vote against the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill passed by the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) on Wednesday.
Also read: Western Cape legislature rejects controversial NHI Bill
As per Bizcommunity, provincial Premier Alan Winde says the bill’s passing by the National Assembly and the NCOP represents a constitutional flaw. ‘It is unaffordable, and we are calling on the President to return the bill to Parliament [for] further consultations. It doesn’t help to pass a bill, sign it into law knowing it is going to be tied up in court for years.’
According to the Western Cape Government (WCG), the president can return legislation to the National Assembly for further consideration should he have any reservations regarding its constitutionality.
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To this end, Winde and the Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo, will write to President Cyril Ramaphosa to urge him not to sign the bill into law.
As reported by Moneyweb, the legislation aimed at reforming healthcare in the country via the NHI Bill was approved by a second parliamentary chamber, which ignored pleas from doctors, business groups and opposition parties to change it.
Now, a framework is being prepared, aimed at transforming ‘the health services, create equity and make sure the perpetual divisions of South Africans, at least in the area of health care, can come to an end’, Health Minister Joe Phaahla noted during a sitting in Cape Town on Wednesday.
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Also read:
DA in the Western Cape pushes for more public input on the NHI Bill
Picture: Soweto Graphics / Unsplash