Private hospital group Mediclinic has warned that the government’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) system will introduce a number of key threats to health in South Africa – including the destruction of private healthcare and medical aid cover.
The government is currently conducting a public consultation process on the NHI Bill.
Mediclinic says that in its current form, the NHI Bill will have a direct impact on access to healthcare services in South Africa, noting that:
- There are inadequate resources for the effective implementation of the scheme;
- The role and viability of private-sector hospital providers will be significantly reduced or eliminated; and
- Medical scheme cover will be eroded.
It also says that there are legitimate concerns regarding the availability of the financial and human resources required to implement the NHI scheme effectively.
South Africa’s doctor- and nurse-to-population ratios are low compared to peer countries, while specialist-to-population ratios are currently 10% of the OECD average.
‘Everyone’s right of access to health care services would be threatened if the existing health care delivery system is uprooted and the NHI scheme envisaged in the Bill cannot be effectively implemented,’ Mediclinic says in a statement.
Everything from hospital beds to equipment, staff and training facilities are at risk, according to the group. The Bill threatens the viability and role of the private hospital sector, and that the proposed contracting and reimbursement frameworks do not accommodate private hospital participation.
Mediclinic also warns that the NHI will effectively create a monopoly as the NHI Fund will act as the single purchaser of healthcare services in South Africa, and will be in a position to cause harm to competition and thus erode private sector resources.
It cautions that medical aid will be significantly eroded. South Africans risk receiving the most basic medical attention, or none at all, if they require expensive treatments, the group warns.
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