New proposal for NHI reform calls for mixed public-private approach

A “consensus-driven” reform that encompasses a mixed public and private approach to bring equitable, efficient and sustainable solutions for South Africa’s health care system has been proposed.

The proposal is contained in a report released by the Universal Healthcare Access Coalition (UHAC), which represents most of the health care professional associations.

So far, 22 associations are signatories to the report.

22 associations are signatories

These include the South African Medical Association, Progressive Health Forum, South African Private Practitioners Forum Radiological Society of South Africa and the South African Society of Anaesthesiologists.

It is envisaged to be less costly and able to be implemented in a shorter timeframe than National Health Insurance, which is criticised for being too exorbitant and would take between 15 and 20 years to implement.

ALSO READ: Private Practitioners’ Forum also disputing constitutionality of NHI Act

UHAC said the reform framework would bring solutions for improved and equitable access to health care and address the country’s critical health care challenges within the system.

“While it could be argued that the NHI proposals fill this gap, the UHAC has assessed the NHI as fiscally and institutionally unimplementable. In particular, there is no feasible scenario in which a single tax-financed fund can provide all the coverage for the entire population of South Africa,” a UHAC statement said.

Progressive Health Forum chair Dr Aslam Dasoo, who is part of UHAC, said the report had been several years in the making and offered a clearer and faster approach for universal access to health care, using the existing health care delivery system.

NHI report several years in the making

“The key to understanding it is that the research points to using the systems in place, state-funded and privately funded health care, integrating the systems through making adjustments to the medical scheme system through mandatory, but more affordable, contributions.

“This proposal envisages no new funding from the fiscus; it all happens within the current fiscal envelop. Our view is it cannot be compared to NHI, which is of little interest to us because its provisions are not implementable, requires a dozen Acts to be amended and funded through massive tax increases.”

NOW READ: The DA must box clever with NHI