'Revolutionary' South African Health Insurance Bill Passed in Parliament

Opposition parties raised concerns over the African National Congress's (ANC) approval of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, citing potential corruption and public health facilities' general unreadiness. Health Minister Joe Phaahla praised the legislation, said: "This is one of the most revolutionary pieces of legislation presented to this house since the dawn of our democracy in 1994."

Similarly, President Cyril Ramphosa said at the Presidential Health Summit in May 2023: "We were fortunate in that we put the legislative wheels for NHI in motion before the pandemic ... We need to implement the pillars of the compact if our country's health system is to be prepared for NHI; so what we are doing here is really preparing work for the health revolution to take place."

However, opposition parties' stance against the legislation have been made clear with several officials speaking out against it.

African Christian Democratic Party MP Marie Sukers said the "consequences of this legislation will be far-reaching and very costly with the inevitable consequence we may face an exodus out of the country by medical corporations and human capital", while Michele Clarke of the Democratic Alliance (DA) said: "The DA can only hope that the ANC has miraculously come to its senses and give heed to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana's warning that the country cannot afford the NHI, as well as the many serious concerns raised by opposition parties, health stakeholders and the general public."

The Economic Freedom Fighters slammed the bill's passing. "The NHI Bill will see the funding of all our health needs being centralised, suppliers (general practitioners, private hospitals, and public hospitals) catering to the needs of our people, and the payment of services being administered from the national polling fund of the NHI ... It will have no material impact on the lives of those who suffer the inhumanity of collapsing public health care and will only further entrench the existing inequalities between private and public health-care institutions," the party said in a statement.

The NHI Bill that was presented to Parliament in 2019. The legislation will be go to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence before being sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa for his consideration.