PARLIAMENT - Parliament's health portfolio committee will request a meeting with the State Attorney to ascertain the constitutionality of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill, committee chairman Sibongiseni Dhlomo said on Thursday.
The controversial bill was tabled in Parliament and will be processed through the health committee.
"As the committee starts this process, we want to address the concerns raised by various people, including those who think they will find space to challenge the constitutionality of the NHI Bill," Dhlomo said in a statement.
"This should be done speedily, so that as we start with the NHI Bill we can set aside concerns and know the contribution of legal experts in the matter. The committee does not want anything untoward to delay public participation on the Bill. However, we still want to address concerns, hence the importance of starting with the State Attorney."
Earlier this week, Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane said his party would use the legal option to stop the passage of the bill through Parliament, insisting the proposed law would not pass constitutional muster.
Maimane said the NHI bill, in its current form, would turn the health system into "another state-owned enterprise".
- African News Agency (ANA)