Nay or Yea for National Health Insurance scheme?
What I think of the matter is irrelevant but what do you think? Will the National Health Insurance scheme be a good or a bad thing?
Government’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme is making headlines all over the place.
Let me start by explaining what it is.
According to the National Department of Health, “NHI is a financing system that will make sure that all citizens of South Africa (and legal long-term residents) are provided with essential healthcare, regardless of their employment status and ability to make a direct monetary contribution to the NHI Fund”.
Government is also saying that “Healthcare is a human right” and that “The NHI will offer all South Africans and legal residents access to a defined package of comprehensive health services”.
There are, however, those who are sceptical and concerned.
The Citizen, the Herald’s mother newspaper, reported that according to experts, South Africa cannot afford the proposed NHI, and NHI fees could see a mass exodus of doctors.
And in an article published on 22 June 2018, The Citizen reported that the Minister of Health, Pakishe Aaron Motsoaledi, said the desired outcome of the bill will be seeing “the rich subsidise medical aid for the poor, the young subsidise the elderly and the healthy subsidise the sick”.
What I think of the matter is irrelevant, but what do you think? Will the NHI scheme be a good or a bad thing? Let us know via email to randfonteinherald@caxton.co.za.
Read a number of articles regarding the matter in the Citizen:
• https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1961509/south-africa-cannot-afford-the-proposed-nhi-expert/
• https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/1963495/nhi-fees-could-see-mass-exodus-of-doctors-expert/
• https://citizen.co.za/opinion/opinion-editorials/1964363/the-doctor-will-not-see-you-now/
