Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu on Tuesday declared the province ready for the rollout of National Health Insurance (NHI), using the official opening of the R1.6-billion King Nyabela Hospital to argue that the province has built the infrastructure needed to support universal healthcare.
Addressing President Cyril Ramaphosa at the new state-of-the-art hospital in Middelburg, Ndlovu said the province’s public health system had reached a level of compliance that positioned it to implement government’s flagship healthcare reform.
“President, we are preparing for National Health Insurance, and I think we are ready,” Ndlovu said.
Performance statistics
He backed the claim with a series of performance statistics, saying all 23 district hospitals had achieved Ideal Hospital Status, while 18 of them had already been certified compliant by the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC). He added that 285 of Mpumalanga’s 290 primary healthcare facilities had attained Ideal Clinic Status, with 279 already certified compliant.
Ndlovu said the investment in public healthcare was driven by the reality that only 12.6% of Mpumalanga residents had medical aid, leaving 87.4% dependent on state healthcare services.
“The majority of our people rely on public healthcare while most healthcare resources remain in the private sector,” he said.
‘Correcting unequal access to quality healthcare’
He described the King Nyabela Hospital as a major step towards correcting unequal access to quality healthcare, saying the new facility would reduce travelling distances for patients and improve access to specialised medical services.
The premier also outlined an ambitious pipeline of health infrastructure projects, revealing that construction of Mapulaneng Hospital was continuing, while plans for the long-awaited Mpumalanga Psychiatric Hospital had been completed.
He said discussions with the Minister of Finance over the Linnah Malatjie Hospital had been concluded and construction would begin soon.
Ndlovu also announced plans to strengthen emergency medical services by expanding the provincial ambulance fleet from 195 to 215 vehicles. The long-term goal, he said, was to have one ambulance serving every two wards to improve emergency response times.
He said since 1994, the democratic government had built seven new hospitals and 105 clinics across Mpumalanga, while a further 24 clinics had been developed in partnership with the private sector. Another 10 clinics are currently under construction.
The King Nyabela Hospital was officially opened by President Ramaphosa, marking his third visit to Mpumalanga within a week following the launch of the R10 billion Umbila Emoyeni Wind Farm and a voter registration campaign in eMalahleni.
- Mpumalanga Premier Mandla Ndlovu on Tuesday declared the province ready for the rollout of National Health Insurance (NHI), using the official opening of the R1.6-billion King Nyabela Hospital to argue that the province has built the infrastructure needed to support universal healthcare.
- Addressing President Cyril Ramaphosa at the new state-of-the-art hospital in Middelburg, Ndlovu said the province’s public health system had reached a level of compliance that positioned it to implement government’s flagship healthcare reform.
- “President, we are preparing for National Health Insurance, and I think we are ready,” Ndlovu said.
- Performance statistics He backed the claim with a series of performance statistics, saying all 23 district hospitals had achieved Ideal Hospital Status, while 18 of them had already been certified compliant by the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC).
- He added that 285 of Mpumalanga’s 290 primary healthcare facilities had attained Ideal Clinic Status, with 279 already certified compliant.
