Parliament’s acceptance of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill is just another act in a “pantomime” that the government seems to intend to carry out to the end.
Busisiwe Mavuso, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and former Eskom board member, says that although the bill is clearly unworkable and has far-reaching consequences for the country, she is concerned that South Africans have simply surrendered their property and their fate. accepted about this.
“There is no implementation plan because implementation is impossible, and there is no funding plan because funding is impossible,” she says.
“However, it is as if the government is just going ahead and blind to the fact that the whole mockery will eventually collapse.
“Even worse is the lack of action against the adoption of the bill. This suggests that many people have simply stopped caring. Everyone knows the emperor wears no clothes, but almost no one considers it remarkable.”
The bill was approved in parliament last week, but several legislative processes are still needed to finally put it into effect.
Various political parties and organizations have also already indicated that they are ready to throw everything into the fight against the implementation of the system – and this includes legal action.
Mavuso says if South Africans allow the NGV to be introduced, it may mean the beginning of the end.
“The world that the NGV envisages – in which almost the entire private healthcare system collapses and is replaced with a government scheme – is impossible,” she says.
“For anyone considering a future in the South African health system, whether as a worker in it, an investor, or indeed anyone concerned about their future access to healthcare, this is a blow to confidence.”
According to Mavuso, the answer to universal health care is not that it is placed solely in the hands of the state, but rather that the private and public sectors come together and “both sides bring their strengths to the table”.
“In my opinion, the organized business sector is in favor of universal health care, but we need a workable plan to make it happen,” she says.
“However, the frustration is that workability is not part of the government’s way of thinking.”
Mavuso argues that the government is only trying to implement the NGV to satisfy a significant part of its voters. As soon as this becomes reality, however, South Africa is in a big predicament.
“The problem is that once it is enshrined as law, we will enter a painful period that will not benefit the health system or the government.
“The national treasury will be forced to try to find a way to finance it, despite the fact that there are numerous other demands made on it for funding that will not be met.
“The health system will be forced to implement this and set up the required boards and committees, despite the fact that its existing facilities need urgent attention and most of them do not meet basic standards,” she says. .
“It will be destructive for the government’s functioning, and on top of that there will inevitably be a series of court cases as people and businesses affected take steps to protect their rights.”
The bill must now go through the National Council of Provinces and finally the presidency to be signed off.
Mavuso hopes that somewhere through these processes it will get “a dose of realism”.
