CAPE TOWN, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- The first phase of public hearings on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill concluded on Tuesday, indicating that South Africa was moving closer to the implementation of universal healthcare.
This phase included extensive public hearings in all the nine provinces of the country, with a minimum three public hearings per province.
The guiding principles that underpin the importance of this phase of the legislation-making process is to give life to the expression of a "people's Parliament" that understands and incorporates varying views of a diverse society like South Africa, said Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Health.
"With these public hearings we are confident that South Africans have been given ample opportunity to make their views heard and taken into consideration by the committee," said Committee Chairperson Sibongiseni Dhlomo.
The committee is grateful to all South Africans, young and old, who participated in this process, and it assures all South Africans that their views will be considered when Parliament deliberates on the final product, Dhlomo said.
Furthermore, the committee acknowledged that despite the varying views on the matter during the hearings, participants were generally well-behaved and tolerant of differing views, according to Dhlomo.
"We are confident that our process cannot be faulted and that a conducive environment was created to enable participants to share their views on the Bill," Dhlomo said.
Regarding the content of the Bill, the majority of participants across the country pronounced their unwavering support for the Bill, especially because of the expected benefits that will enhance universal healthcare especially for the poor, Dhlomo said.
But in most cases the support for the Bill was predicated on the need for the Department of Health to fix the current healthcare challenges that will ensure, if optimally utilized, an effective healthcare system, he said.
Fixing these challenges include the hiring of more doctors and nurses, investment in infrastructure development and ensuring accountability at all levels of the healthcare sector, Dhlomo said.
Despite a majority of people endorsing the Bill and calling for its immediate implementation, there were those that vehemently opposed the Bill primarily because of the ambiguity in relation to the funding model, dwindling revenue base and apprehension on the governance of the fund as a result of corruptionl, according to Dhlomo.
The committee reiterates its commitment to listening to all views presented during the public hearings, he said.
The committee will now engage stakeholders and organizations that made written submissions to it, and that will form the last phase of public participation on the Bill at the National Assembly level, said Dhlomo.
The government has set 2025 as the deadline for implementing the NHI which is meant to benefit all South African citizens, permanent residents, refugees, inmates, designated foreign nationals and all children.
But critics say the financing model of this bill will mean the imposition of a new tax on ordinary South Africans who have already been squeezed dry by the government and cannot be subjected to yet another tax.
Several political parties and numerous bodies, including the South African Private Practitioners' Forum, have voiced skepticism about the bill, calling it unrealistic, too expensive, and would potentially damage the healthcare sector, particularly when the country is facing a financial crisis.
The government plans to implement the NHI through the establishment of a NHI Fund financed through mandatory prepayment.
