President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to sign the long-awaited National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill has outraged political parties.
Ramaphosa signed the NHI Bill into law on Wednesday at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
He stated that the legislation is a commitment to end the glaring disparities that have long determined who is neglected and who receives adequate healthcare.
Political point-scoring
The EFF criticised the signing of the bill, calling it opportunistic, misguided, and dishonest given the impending general elections on May 29.
The EFF’s election spokesperson, Sixolise Gcilishe, stated that the party opposes the bill because it disregards basic issues affecting public healthcare and because the ANC is using it for political purposes.
“The outgoing ruling party is using such an important intervention, which is supposed to give our people dignified public healthcare, for political point-scoring,” said Gcilishe.
The EFF continues to maintain that South Africa’s public healthcare system has completely collapsed, Gcilishe continued.
Public health facilities collapsing
“The majority of public health facilities are in dilapidated buildings, do not have dependable and drinkable water, and patients are forced to bring their own water.”
She claimed that because there was no water in their maternity wards during the Covid-19 pandemic, expectant mothers were waiting in hospital clothes to get water from Jojo tanks.
“The EFF has long raised the issue of understaffed and underpaid medical health practitioners,” said Gcilishe.
“Many medical health practitioners in public healthcare facilities are depressed and tired, and more are committing suicide due to burnout.”
Too many gaps and unanswered questions
According to Gcilishe, the bill has too many gaps and unanswered questions.
“The ANC has failed to accept many submissions made by various stakeholders. The bill, as signed into law, is explained through PR gimmicks because there are questions that cannot be answered.
“Instead, criticism is dismissed as anti-universal health coverage, which is nonsensical and should be rejected.
“There is no evidence that the ANC government has the political sophistication and competence to roll out anything that requires a complex system due to their own ineptitude and corruption.”
The intention is to steal
ActionSA leader Herman Mashaba also expressed concern about the NHI Bill, saying South Africa does not have the money to fund the NHI, regardless of who runs it.
“We will compromise for these great South Africans to expect to successfully run a concept conceived by people with the sole intention to steal,” said Mashaba.
