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The National Health Insurance (NHI) Act all but dominated the closing of a medical conference in Durban on Saturday.
Speaking at the event hosted by the KwaZulu-Natal Doctors Healthcare Coalition (KZNDHC) at the Coastlands conference centre, health minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi said the NHI would be rolled out and allayed fears it would be mismanaged at state facilities.
“I know what you are waiting to hear, and I will not disappoint you, NHI is coming and we must shun what is now happening in healthcare the way we did apartheid and work together to provide equality for all, especially primary healthcare.
“This fear it will not be managed properly cannot be reason enough to stop its intervention — rest assured, I am committed personally to ensuring its success,” he added.
Motsoaledi said the section of the law that outlines transitional mechanisms would be implemented “immediately”. This included setting up advisory committees and amending other health-related laws to be in line with the NHI.
He said while there was opposition from health insurers, the voices of those who were disadvantaged by the current inequality in healthcare weren't being heard.
On Tuesday, President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed at the closing of an ANC policy meeting that NHI would go ahead despite opposition in and outside government.
KZNDHC chair Prof Morgan Chetty said the future of healthcare should be less on responding to illnesses and more on anticipating them.
“In the face of increasing longevity and the rise of chronic diseases in later life, shifting from curative to preventive care will become vital for healthcare systems,” Chetty said.
On NHI, Chetty said: “SA has a dual healthcare system, inequity and injustice. NHI affords a platform which allows accessibility to healthcare for all the citizens. Right now the private sector is better resourced and has better quality in some areas, but the public health services have equally good quality in facilities equipped to do so.
“The public health sector has challenges in terms of human resources, equipment, medicines and vaccines. This impacts quality of care.
“We need to rethink, reframe, re-engineer and adopt a collaborative solution to healthcare of the future. This entails partnership between public and private sector. The private sector has to be part of the solution,” he said.
Cardiologist and electrophysiologist Dr Brian Vezi from Lenmed eThekwini hospital and heart centre said he appreciated Motsoaledi's passion to give a voice to the poor who would benefit from NHI.
Vezi, who was honoured at the event for his milestone procedure in 2022 when he inserted the world's tiniest, leadless pacemaker — 93% smaller than older devices — into a man’s heart, expressed his commitment to NHI.
Other recipients at event included Dr Prudence Buthelezi, co-founder of the National Health Care Professionals Association; Prof Glenda Gray, physician, scientist and activist specialising in the care of children and in HIV medicine; and Dr Salim Abdool Karrim, a clinical infectious diseases epidemiologist who is widely recognised for his research contributions in HIV prevention and treatment.
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