Current Health Care Provisions ‘Unfair, Inefficient & Unsustainable, Says Ramaphosa On Why SA Needs NHI

Riyaz Patel

The NHI will be the catalyst to achieve “Free medical care and hospitalisation for all, and we are determined to achieve this goal,“ said President Cyril Ramaphosa in response to a question on the NHI in Parliament Thursday.

“We are one of the countries with the highest inequality, and this requires a policy change,“ he began.

The president pointed out that South Africa has enough resources “to give every man, woman and child health care, but we refuse because we want to promote interests of a few to the detriment of the rest.”

The NHI will change this, he said.

“As we have done before with all major policy interventions since 1994, we will ensure effective consultation and engagement across society at all stages of this process,” said Ramaphosa.

He said the quest for universal health coverage ranks among “one of the most