A conservative estimate of R900 billion is what it will cost to deliver comprehensive, quality health care to all South Africans, according to data from Momentum Health.
Businesstech reports that, with the current public health care budget at R270 billion, there’s an estimated R630 billion gap that needs to be filled.
Noting that the true cost of the NHI and how to fund it is among the biggest points of contention about NHI, Businesstech cites Momentum Health chief marketing officer Damian McHugh as saying that the government has promised “affordable, quality universal healthcare” for every citizen in the country, which is ill-defined and will likely prove unaffordable.
McHugh noted that the private sector spent an average of R1,750 a month (R21,000 a year) on 9 million medical scheme beneficiaries. (Discovery estimates this is higher, at about R2,250 a month [R27,000 a year].)
To provide equal levels of private-quality coverage universally to South Africa’s 63 million people would cost the country over R1.3 trillion “for the same level of quality and accessibility as the private healthcare system”, McHugh said.
Despite President Ramaphosa signing the NHI Act into law, no official costing of the scheme has been done because it’s unclear what the scheme will actually cover.
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