Cape Town - Public hearings on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill will be conducted in the province and the DA has urged the public “to use this opportunity to understand exactly what the bill means for health service delivery and their ability to choose their health service provider”.
The National Portfolio Committee on Health will be conducting four public hearings on the West Coast, in the Central Karoo and on the Garden Route.
The DA provincial spokesperson on health, Wendy Philander, said: “I urge every citizen to use public hearings as opportunities to educate themselves on the finer details of the bill and make submissions accordingly.
“The proposed changes via the Bill to the health-care system will affect every citizen, whether one is dependent on the public or private healthcare systems.
“The DA fully supports the achievement of universal health care for all South Africans. But the way in which the ANC has presented the NHI Bill as the only way to achieve universal health care is a blatant lie,” said Philander.
She added: “The NHI Bill proposes a funding scheme for the healthcare system that can’t automatically improve the quality of services or well-being of people.
“The bill is vague on the package of care it intends to provide or how it will improve and ensure quality care. It lacks a clear strategy and ignores the importance and improvement of sound governance structures required for quality healthcare services.”
Defending the proposed bill, President Cyril Ramaphosa recently told the ANC Women’s League: “I would like to say that the NHI is here to stay. Whether people like it or not, it’s going nowhere.”