President Cyril Ramaphosa and delegates signed the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law at Union Buildings in Pretoria on 15 May 2024. The bill aims to transform South Africa’s healthcare system for universal coverage and address past socio-economic disparities. Ramaphosa strategically signed the NHI 14 days before the upcoming elections on 29 May.
- Signing Doesn’t Guarantee Law: Constitutional law expert Pierre de Vos warns that the NHI becoming law is contingent on the ANC retaining power after elections.
- Opposition and Legal Challenges: Parties like DA and Solidarity, and healthcare institutions have expressed plans to challenge the NHI in court.
- Implementation Challenges: Concerns remain about transparent fund administration and fixing public healthcare without financial mismanagement. Recent corruption scandals have fueled doubts.
The NHI seeks universal access to healthcare by merging public and private systems and creating a state medical scheme. While the NHI Act prohibits private medical schemes in their current form, how the plan will be funded and its full implications remain unclear.
The phased implementation of the NHI could take decades, with the first phase focusing on establishing an NHI Fund and legislative amendments. Medical aids are expected to evolve or disappear over the coming years as the NHI takes shape.
Additional reporting: Sipokazi Fokazi