NHI is doomed if it depends on the same people dealing with Nehawu strike

Let’s get real about the National Health Insurance (NHI) plan. Simply put, it’s a bad idea.

There may be a different and more effective way to get healthcare to the people, but is that really the ambition? If the state really cared about healthcare and getting it to the people, there would be far more decisive reaction to the Nehawu strikes.

We also can’t make the mistake of thinking that these are just nurses on strike. When it comes to Nehawu, there are quite a few allied workers, and collectively, they’re essential to the functioning of hospitals.

Does that mean that none of them should be allowed to strike? Maybe, but the strike interdicts give significantly more clarity.

No direction from strike leaders or government

Fast forward to a few days later. MECs are visiting hospitals and some lip service is being paid to ideals like non-violence, but uhm… About that…

Also Read: WATCH: Hospital patients sent home as Nehawu strike gets violent [LIVE]

The strike has been going and worryingly, it kept going in different forms.

Some hospitals were shut down more than others. Some nurses only engaged in strike action in the mornings and went back to their work in the afternoons.

There seemed to be no national coordination other than actually deciding to strike.

After that, the tail was left to wag whatever it could wag.

That wouldn’t be so concerning if the rules were made clear or if some proper arrests were made when somebody steps out of legal line. Like hypothetically, if somebody allegedly took a panga to an ambulance, it would be nice to know that they would get arrested rather than sent back to look after hospital patients.

It’s even more concerning because some quarters are keen on a national shutdown in the coming days and there’s no guidance to how that’s going to manifest. Actually wait, no, there has been some guidance, albeit more of a warning that businesses that remain open will get looted counts as such.

I know that’s not exactly “guidance” but let’s not be surprised when businesses get looted after that.

This doesn’t add up. You can’t expect me to believe you want to overhaul the healthcare industry to give access to more people but you can’t deal decisively with questionable strike action which prohibits access to healthcare.

Also Read: ‘They’ll never get it’ – Nehawu’s strike in quest for 10% raise ‘pure foolishness’

South Africans told not to believe own eyes and ears

But this is the South African way – we can be told that they’re on the electricity problem, after over a decade of increasing black outs.

We can be told that there’s care about crime when bribery is the unofficial national sport. We can be told anything even if the opposite is evident, and are still expected to accept what we’re told.

It’s time for the state and those actors within it to play ball and walk the walk.

It’s been time for a while, but we’ve been sitting at this pleasant braai into the early hours of the morning, pretending like 8am on Monday isn’t getting closer. It’s not like we can pretend to keep believing the stories, when we have evidence directly to the contrary.

Little hope for a successful NHI

I know that the NHI talk has quietened down of late, but that doesn’t mean it’s gone.

Also Read: NHI Bill: Challenges faced are enormous

Maybe it means that there isn’t a plan of patronage yet or maybe it means something else.

The discussion can take centre stage very swiftly, very soon, and if it does, we need to remember how the same people who are bringing it to us, dealt with striking hospital workers.

If this was an attempt to give healthcare to the masses, I just have two questions: Why did public health through public hospitals fail and why was it okay for workers, in some instances earning more than in the private sector, down tools under your watch?

Good luck answering those questions. You may find them easier than trying to get treatment at a public hospital but I mean, which public official ever goes public?