Private sector can boost NHI with the lessons it has learned

The Board of Healthcare Funders of Southern Africa (BHF) said the lessons learnt in the private health care sector over the past 20 years could help a great deal in implementing a realistic and promising National Health Insurance (NHI) model.

The BHF expressed the need for the private sector to contribute towards the NHI at a joint press briefing with the Council for Medical Schemes (CMS) and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

This comes after the confirmation from a white paper that the NHI Bill and the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill are in their final stages.

BHF chairperson Dr Ali Hamdulay said the private sector needed to firm up on its contributions and play a significant role towards moving the NHI from policy to action.

“The private sector has a lot to offer and must now contribute towards supporting efforts to get the NHI moving. Of interest, among other things, are the private sector’s critical skills offering, which can provide a springboard on which government can begin to get things moving with the NHI.

“There is no need to reinvent the wheel when we can collaborate to make this work for the greater population of the country,” said Hamdulay.

Acting spokesperson of the health department Foster Mohale said it welcomed the involvement of anyone who shared a vision with the department to improve the health care system of the country, unless they were conflicted.

He said: “BHF is a voluntary organisation and we will not deal with them as an organisation but through their members.”

– jenniffero@citizen.co.za

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