Podcasts about national health insurance bill

Stephen Grootes discusses the National Health Insurance Bill with Thoneshan Naidoo, CEO of the Health Funders Association, exploring its implications for private healthcare and the challenges of implementing universal healthcare.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DA leader, John Steenhuisen has warned the ANC to treat his party as a coalition partner in the Government of National Unity or run the risk of tarnishing relations between the parties. Steenhuisen has been addressing the media on recent political developments and preparations for the upcoming local government elections. This follows an important meeting of the DA Federal Council where tensions with the ANC on the Expropriation Bill together with the National Health Insurance Bill were discussed. Steenhuisen, who expressed feeling under the weather which has affected his voice, says his party may have to reconsider its further participation within the GNU

Two-pot what? With just four months before it goes live, we look at the two-port retirement system. How the local drone industry is quite literally lifting off in a big way. Then, could we face another bird flu epidemic? Why the novel H7N6 strain is cause for concern. Later – a new road safety survey calls drivers out on their bad habits. And South Africans are gatvol – so they're fixing things themselves. But first, President Cyril Ramaphosa found his pen and the Rolls Royce of healthcare has been signed into law this past week. But not everyone is celebrating the National Health Insurance Bill. But don't cancel your medical aid just yet… Carte Blanche Website · Chat on X · Chat on Facebook

A legal expert believes the time window for organisations and political parties to challenge the implementation of the National Health Insurance Bill has passed. Website

The United Nations in South Africa says the signing of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law is a significant milestone in the journey towards universal health care that leaves no one behind. In a statement issued yesterday, the UN said the law ensures that all citizens have access to quality healthcare services, regardless of their socio-economic status through the establishment of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). Yesterday President Cyril Ramaphosa finally signed into law the National Health Insurance Bill at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. For more on the NHI Elvis Presslin spoke to Head of the National Health Insurance at the Department of Health, Professor Nicholas Crisp

President Cyril Ramaphosa faces backlash from the affluent as he signs the National Health Insurance Bill into law. Meanwhile, stock prices tumble for Discovery and Momentum Metropolitan. Plus, climate activists disrupt play at the Italian Open, making their voices heard in unconventional ways. These are three things you need to know as you wake up. Webpage

The Health and Allied Workers Indaba Trade Union (HAITU) has voiced its support for President Cyril Ramaphosa's imminent signing of the National Health Insurance Bill. HAITU says this action as the final step toward ensuring public access to high-quality healthcare. For More on this Elvis Presslin spoke to Lerato Mthunzi Haitu General Secretary  

Health is wealth, and the NHI bill has officially been signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, but what does it all mean for South African healthcare and taxpayers.The team spoke to doctors, patients and the Deputy Director General National Health Insurance Prof Nicolas Crisp.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Carol Ofori spoke to the Chair of the South African Medical Association, Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa who explained the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill perfectly.

Zwelinzima Vavi | SAFTU General Secretary   The latest data released by Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Tuesday, May 14, marks the final Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) before the upcoming polls on May 29. According to Stats SA, South Africa's unemployment rate climbed to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2024, showing a rise of 0.8 percentage points from 32.1% in the fourth quarter of 2023. The surge in unemployment has become a major focal point in the lead-up to the 2024 elections, overshadowing previous campaign topics like gender-based violence and land expropriation. This development deals a blow to the ruling party, which would have anticipated more favourable figures to present to voters so close to the polls. Despite a significant reduction in load shedding during the first quarter of this year compared to the same period last year, with South Africa experiencing its longest uninterrupted streak of 49 days without power cuts, this improvement has had little impact on the country's unemployment rate. According to Stats SA's presentation accompanying the data, the number of unemployed individuals rose to 8.2 million in Q1 of 2024 from 7.9 million in Q4 of 2023, indicating an increase of over 300,000 unemployed individuals between the two quarters.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Democratic Alliance has announced that it intends to challenge the NHI bill all the way to the Constitutional Court. The Presidency has announced that President Cyril Ramaphosa will Wednesday, 15 May 2024, publicly sign into law the National Health Insurance Bill. DA Leader John Steenhusien says NHI bill poses a grave threat to both public and private healthcare systems, burdening citizens with unbearable taxes. 

Amnesty International South Africa executive director Shenilla Mohamed said that 30 years after the end of apartheid, the right to life and dignity continues to be trampled on, with some lives deemed more valuable than others. "No one is spared, from women and girls enduring high rates of gender-based violence (GBV), to courageous human rights defenders risking their lives to expose wrongdoing and corruption," she said. On Wednesday, Amnesty International launched its yearly 'The State of the World's Human Rights' report, which assesses human rights in 155 countries. Mohamed pointed out that three decades had passed since the end of the oppressive apartheid regime in South Africa, marking a historic milestone in the fight for freedom and equality, however, the struggle for human rights and dignity persisted. She said GBV remained rampant, with perpetrators often evading justice. She highlighted that the report paints a sobering picture of the ongoing challenges faced by South Africans and added that despite the hard-fought victories against apartheid, millions still grappled with the denial of their fundamental human rights. "The promise to eradicate pit latrines in schools remains unfulfilled, while literacy rates among Grade 4 pupils remains low. Concerns loom over the potential adverse effects of the National Health Insurance Bill on healthcare accessibility, which is already a problem in the country. Access to safe drinking water is declining and water infrastructure is crumbling with alarming effects," she said. Mohamed noted that amidst these challenges, the murder rate persisted at staggering levels, and excessive use of force by police in response to protests continued. "Human rights defenders, activists and journalists face threats and attempts to silence their voices, underscoring the persistent dangers confronting those who advocate for justice and accountability," she said. Reflecting on South Africa's journey since the end of apartheid, it was a poignant reminder that the fight for freedom, dignity and human rights was far from over, Mohamed said. "This year, as South Africa heads to the polls on 29 May, we have the opportunity to collectively shape the future of the country and vote for human rights; to demand a reality where justice and equality are protected, and the right to live free from violence and have access to safe, sufficient and reliable water is realised for every person, no matter who they are, or where they live," she said. INTERNATIONAL LAW Amnesty International's report presents a stark assessment of the "betrayal of human rights principles" by leaders and institutions. In the face of multiplying conflicts, the actions of many powerful States had further damaged the credibility of multilateralism and undermined the global rules-based order first established in 1945, Mohamed pointed out. She noted the conflict in Gaza which showed no sign of abating, as evidence that war crimes continued to mount. The conflict has since forcibly displaced nearly 1.9-million Palestinians and is restricting the access of desperately needed humanitarian aid despite growing famine in Gaza. The report also points to the US's "brazen use of its veto" to paralyse the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for months on a much-needed resolution for a ceasefire, as it continues to arm Israel with munitions that have been used to commit what Amnesty International says likely amount to war crimes. "It also highlights the grotesque double standards of European countries such as the UK and Germany, given their well-founded opposition to war crimes by Russia and Hamas, while they simultaneously bolster the actions of Israeli and US authorities in this conflict," she added. Mohamed said this showed that many powerful States were abandoning the founding values of humanity and universality enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. She highlighted that given the grim global state of play, urgent measures were requi...

The SA Medical Association's threatened to take legal action against the government if the contentious National Health Insurance Bill is signed into law. Website

The Health Minister says there's still a long way to go before the National Health Insurance Bill comes into effect. Website

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver his last state-of-the-nation address before the country holds national elections that are gearing up to be the most hotly contested since apartheid ended three decades ago. The president will likely take stock of the work his administration has done, leaving the announcement of new initiatives to another keynote speech that will be delivered after the vote. The address to lawmakers on Thursday evening in Cape Town comes two weeks before his party presents its manifesto to voters. Here are the key things to watch out for: 1. The Election Date Ramaphosa proclaimed the date for the 2019 elections in a state-of-the-nation address and may do likewise this week - on Wednesday his spokesman said an announcement will be made within 15 days. Once that happens, the date will be published in the Government Gazette and the voters' roll will close. The vote must take place by August and several opinion polls show the ruling African National Congress risks losing its national majority for the first time since it took power under Nelson Mandela in 1994. 2. Income Grants There's been a tug of war within the government over whether a temporary 350 rand ($18.50) monthly stipend that was introduced to cushion the unemployed against the fallout from the coronavirus should be made permanent. The National Treasury has called for a comprehensive review of the entire welfare system and warned that the income grants are unsustainable unless new sources of revenue are found. But the African National Congress (ANC) insists that an extension to the stipends is non-negotiable and Ramaphosa told a party meeting last month that there is "a strong case for a permanent form of a targeted income-support grant for the unemployed within our fiscal constraints." If he does pronounce on the matter, it will likely fall to Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to spell out where the money will come from when he delivers his annual budget on February 21. 3. Energy and Rail Crises Ramaphosa is likely to elaborate on what is being done to tackle power shortages and logistical snarl-ups that have hamstrung the economy, but isn't expected to unveil new overarching plans. The country endured record blackouts last year, some lasting as long as 12 hours a day, because state utility Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. couldn't keep pace with demand for electricity from its old and poorly maintained plants. While private investors have been enlisted to bring new capacity on line, the process has been a bumpy one. Transnet SOC Ltd., the struggling state-owned company that runs the freight rail network and all the main ports, has committed to implementing a turnaround plan to address complaints from mining companies and farmers that they can't get sufficient volumes of their goods to market. In December, the government agreed to provide the company with 47-billion rand in debt guarantees and 4. Health-Care Reform Late last year, lawmakers signed off on the contentious National Health Insurance Bill, which seeks to facilitate the provision of universal access to health care through a centrally managed government fund that buys services and medicines from public and private providers. The legislation has been referred to the president, who can either assent to it, or ask the legislature to amend it if he deems it to be legally or technically flawed. While Ramaphosa is unlikely to announce that he has signed off, he may signal how close he is to a decision. Business groups and opposition parties say the law erodes the constitutional rights of both patients and health-care professionals and they intend challenging it in court if it is adopted in its current form. 5. Government Overhaul The Treasury has been working with the presidency on a plan to restructure the cabinet, which has expanded since Ramaphosa took office in 2018 despite his repeated commitments to slim it down. The president may spell out what concrete action will be taken to re...

IFP President Velenkosini Hlabisa has described the recently passed National Health Insurance Bill as a recipe for disaster for the country's health sector. Website

Dr. Katlego Mothudi is The Managing Director of The Board of Health Funders (BHF) an industry representative body for medical aid schemes, and he joins us to consider the current status of The National Health Insurance Bill.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Health Minister Joe Phaahla says they were not surprised by the mixed reaction to the National Health Insurance Bill getting the nod from the second House of Parliament. Website

The Hospital Association of South Africa says it's disappointed and concerned by the National Council of Provinces's decision to pass the National Health Insurance Bill. Website

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) president Adrian Gore has warned that the pace of delivery across the joint initiatives being taken with government on electricity, logistics and crime is "plateauing" and has called for a greater sense of "urgency and determination" to re-establish momentum. In a joint statement released following the latest high-level meeting between business and government convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday, Gore attributed the recent lack of progress to "delays in regulatory and other approvals, as well as a slippage on the implementation of strategic plans, and the alignment of these to workable funding solutions". "We've agreed with the President that delays will be given urgent attention, and we will all ensure that momentum is maintained, key decisions are made, and policies implemented in line with agreed timelines. "We need to act with a greater sense of urgency and determination to confront these challenges, given their severe impact on the economy as a whole," Gore said, while emphasising that significant strides had been made in implementing reforms that could set the economy on a higher growth trajectory. Busa CEO Cas Coovadia told Engineering News that Gore was referring specifically to the relatively slow progress being made on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill and the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill. This, in contrast to the fact that a "deeply flawed" National Health Insurance Bill was poised to be approved by the National Council of Provinces without direct input from five provinces. Coovadia said business also felt that it was urgent for Cabinet to approve the Freight Logistics Roadmap and for government to take the steps needed to open the way for the launch of the next renewables bidding round, which was initially scheduled for mid-2023. Likewise, it wanted the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to provide various regulatory approvals to facilitate the introduction of new electricity capacity, including approval for wheeling and grid access. Besides renewed high levels of loadshedding, the meeting also took place against the backdrop of an intensifying logistics crisis. For this reason, business indicated to government that funding and/or debt relief needed to be prioritised for Transnet, without which there was little chance that the State-owned utility would be able to take the immediate actions required to ease port congestion, ramp up rail performance and create the systems needed for private sector participation on the port and rail networks. DEEP CONCERN OVER NTSHAVENI'S COMMENTS Coovadia also confirmed that business had entered the meeting with an intention to register a strong objection to recent comments by Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, in her role as Cabinet spokesperson, alleging that the private sector was seeking to engineer the collapse of the State. While her remarks were in response to a rand manipulation-related settlement, her statement was taken as a broad-based criticism of business. A stance that she has since defended further in an opinion article. Gore had, in his opening input, expressed deep concern about Ntshavheni's statements, arguing that they sent a "wrong signal" in a context where business was making strenuous efforts to assist government in resolving the crises in the areas of electricity, logistics and crime. However, the matter was not pursued further, largely because Ramaphosa used his opening remarks to acknowledge businesses unhappiness with her statements, which he said did not reflect government's position. The President also insisted, Coovadia related, that government remained fully committed to its partnership with business. In the joint statement released after the meeting, Ramaphosa stated that he saw the partnership "as evidence of the business community's commitment to building our country and overcoming the challenges that we face". The next meeting between government and business will be held i...

President Cyril Ramaphosa won't simply sign the controversial National Health Insurance Bill into law. "I don't think there should be any panic," Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said at a briefing on Wednesday, just hours before the National Council of Provinces vote on whether or not to accept the Bill in its current form. "Concerns have been expressed directly to the president [about] certain parts of the Bill. Once the Bill has been passed, the president still has a constitutional imperative in processing that Bill before he signs it. He will look at the process. One of the things he will look at is, has there been sufficient consultation and if so, have those consultations sufficiently addressed the issues of concern," Magwenya explained. He said it was within Ramaphosa's remit to send back a bill if he has any concerns. "The passing of the Bill doesn't necessarily mark the conclusion of the process. The president does not, each time he receives a Bill, just sign it as a given. If he so desires, he can open another round of consultation to satisfy himself that what he will sign will not be subjected to endless litigation," the spokesperson added. He was briefing the media about Ramaphosa's diary. In an unprecedented move, business organisations have written to the presiding officers of the NCOP as well as Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who is the leader of government business, urgently appealing to put a stop to the bill. Last week, the NCOP Select Committee on Health and Social Services adopted the bill without any amendments to the version passed by the National Assembly, despite intense lobbying from Business Unity SA, Business for SA, and healthcare professionals. Healthcare professionals also voiced their concerns over the NCOP's refusal to amend the bill, which has moved almost entirely unchanged through the parliamentary process since 2019. Business organisations are particularly concerned about Section 33 of the Bill, which deals with the phasing-in of the NHI and the phasing out of private medical aid insurance. It states that "once the NHI is fully implemented as determined by the Minister of Health, medical schemes may only offer complementary cover to services not reimbursable by the fund". Section 33 is certain to be challenged on constitutional grounds, due to the limitation it would impose on the right to health. Trade union Solidarity has already indicated that it will challenge this. The Bill aims to establish universal healthcare for all South Africans by abolishing the "two-tier" system, in which the bulk of healthcare spending is made in the private sector for the benefit of a few, while the mass of the population is relegated to the "under-funded" public sector. The Bill will establish a single NHI Fund, managed by the state, to buy healthcare services from the public and private sectors. Services will be free to the public at the point of delivery. Once a service becomes available under the NHI, medical schemes will no longer be allowed to cover it, implying the ultimate phasing out of private medical insurance. Proceedings in the NCOP started at 14:00, but the vote on the Bill is expected later in the afternoon.

Business committed to building SA, Ramaphosa says after Ntshavheni's accusation More than a week after Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni accused the private sector of engineering the state's collapse, President Cyril Ramaphosa said business' current partnership with government illustrates how committed they are to the country. Ramaphosa and business issued a joint statement on Wednesday after Cabinet met with business leaders as part of their initiative to deal with the country's energy, transport, and logistics, as well as crime and corruption problems. "Since we began, we have made significant progress in establishing structures and ways of working, mobilising resources and driving implementation of key actions. We see this partnership as evidence of the business community's commitment to building our country and overcoming the challenges that we face," Ramaphosa said in a statement. At a post-Cabinet briefing last week, Ntshavheni was asked about a long-standing probe into rand manipulation that involves 28 banks. She said that "the performance of the economy has been manipulated by [the] private sector, [which] has no interest in the development of this country", adding that the private sector continued to "engineer and do machinations to ensure the government collapses". Business Unity SA said it hoped Ntshavheni would reconsider her comments and it would "raise it with government through the partnership".BUSA president and Discovery CEO Adrian Gore said in Wednesday's joint statement that there had been some movement on collaboration structures with government. Some of the highlighted successes include over 1 000MW of power generation capacity, establishing the Rail Infrastructure Manager for Transnet - which opens the doors to third-party train operators, and establishing a digital and financial Forensic Analysis Centre. "Despite these initial successes… the pace of delivery across the initiative seems to be plateauing, mainly as a result of delays in regulatory and other approvals, as well as slippage on the implementation of strategic plans, and the alignment of these to workable funding solutions," Gore said. Next story, 'I don't think there should be any panic': Ramaphosa won't just sign NHI Bill into law President Cyril Ramaphosa won't simply sign the controversial National Health Insurance Bill into law. "I don't think there should be any panic," Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said at a briefing on Wednesday, just hours before the National Council of Provinces vote on whether or not to accept the Bill in its current form. "Concerns have been expressed directly to the president [about] certain parts of the Bill. Once the Bill has been passed, the president still has a constitutional imperative in processing that Bill before he signs it. He will look at the process. One of the things he will look at is, has there been sufficient consultation and if so, have those consultations sufficiently addressed the issues of concern," Magwenya explained. He said it was within Ramaphosa's remit to send back a bill if he has any concerns. "The passing of the Bill doesn't necessarily mark the conclusion of the process. The president does not, each time he receives a Bill, just sign it as a given. If he so desires, he can open another round of consultation to satisfy himself that what he will sign will not be subjected to endless litigation," the spokesperson added. He was briefing the media about Ramaphosa's diary. In an unprecedented move, business organisations have written to the presiding officers of the NCOP as well as Deputy President Paul Mashatile, who is the leader of government business, urgently appealing to put a stop to the bill. Last week, the NCOP Select Committee on Health and Social Services adopted the bill without any amendments to the version passed by the National Assembly, despite intense lobbying from Business Unity SA, Business for SA, and healthcare professionals. Also making hea...

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) president Adrian Gore has warned that the pace of delivery across the joint initiatives being taken with government on electricity, logistics and crime is "plateauing" and has called for a greater sense of "urgency and determination" to re-establish momentum. In a joint statement released following the latest high-level meeting between business and government convened by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Tuesday, Gore attributed the recent lack of progress to "delays in regulatory and other approvals, as well as a slippage on the implementation of strategic plans, and the alignment of these to workable funding solutions". "We've agreed with the President that delays will be given urgent attention, and we will all ensure that momentum is maintained, key decisions are made, and policies implemented in line with agreed timelines. "We need to act with a greater sense of urgency and determination to confront these challenges, given their severe impact on the economy as a whole," Gore said, while emphasising that significant strides had been made in implementing reforms that could set the economy on a higher growth trajectory. Busa CEO Cas Coovadia told Engineering News that Gore was referring specifically to the relatively slow progress being made on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill and the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill. This, in contrast to the fact that a "deeply flawed" National Health Insurance Bill was poised to be approved by the National Council of Provinces without direct input from five provinces. Coovadia said business also felt that it was urgent for Cabinet to approve the Freight Logistics Roadmap and for government to take the steps needed to open the way for the launch of the next renewables bidding round, which was initially scheduled for mid-2023. Likewise, it wanted the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to provide various regulatory approvals to facilitate the introduction of new electricity capacity, including approval for wheeling and grid access. Besides renewed high levels of loadshedding, the meeting also took place against the backdrop of an intensifying logistics crisis. For this reason, business indicated to government that funding and/or debt relief needed to be prioritised for Transnet, without which there was little chance that the State-owned utility would be able to take the immediate actions required to ease port congestion, ramp up rail performance and create the systems needed for private sector participation on the port and rail networks. DEEP CONCERN OVER NTSHAVENI'S COMMENTS Coovadia also confirmed that business had entered the meeting with an intention to register a strong objection to recent comments by Minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, in her role as Cabinet spokesperson, alleging that the private sector was seeking to engineer the collapse of the State. While her remarks were in response to a rand manipulation-related settlement, her statement was taken as a broad-based criticism of business. A stance that she has since defended further in an opinion article. Gore had, in his opening input, expressed deep concern about Ntshavheni's statements, arguing that they sent a "wrong signal" in a context where business was making strenuous efforts to assist government in resolving the crises in the areas of electricity, logistics and crime. However, the matter was not pursued further, largely because Ramaphosa used his opening remarks to acknowledge businesses unhappiness with her statements, which he said did not reflect government's position. The President also insisted, Coovadia related, that government remained fully committed to its partnership with business. In the joint statement released after the meeting, Ramaphosa stated that he saw the partnership "as evidence of the business community's commitment to building our country and overcoming the challenges that we face". The next meeting between government and business will be held i...

Guest: Dr Nicholas Crisp Deputy Director General: National Health Insurance and Dr Eric Buch Professor in Health Policy in Management at TheSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The National Council of Province's committee on Health is today being briefed by officials from the Department of Health on the National Health Insurance Bill. The bill was been passed by the National Assembly last week with the aim to provide universal healthcare to all South Africans, at both public or private health facilities. The NCOP will finish off its second term with oral question and answers from the Economics cluster, before joining members of Parliament from the National Assembly, to do work among their constituents. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to SABC reporter, Zalene Merrington.

Is the NHI a blessing or a curse for South Africa's healthcare system? That is the big question that we aim to unpack in today's discussion. The National Assembly this week  passed the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill with 205 MPs in support of it. The bill will now be sent to the NCOP for concurrence then signed into law by the President Cyril Ramaphosa. The Bill seeks to give all South Africans access to quality health care and makes provision for one pool of health care funding for private and public health care providers. Deputy Director General for the National Health Insurance (NHI) at the Health Department, Dr Nicholas Crisp says the primary source of funding for the NHI Bill will be the current tax system. A few organisations have vowed to legally challenge the implementation of the National Health Insurance Bill. For this discussion we are joined by Dr Simon  Strachan,  Paeditrician in private practice and the CEO of the South African Private Practitioners Forum  AND Dr Zamasomi Meyiwa Luvuno from the Centre for Rural Health at the University of Kwa Zulu Natal....  

South Africa has embarked on an ambitious journey towards universal healthcare, with Parliament passing the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill. So the team got a hold of Marius Van Der Walt who's East Coast Radio's News Editor. Webpage

Trade union, Solidarity says it intends to legally challenge the passing of the National Health Insurance Bill by the National Assembly. The Department of Health says it welcomes the latest developments - however, other stakeholders have voiced concerns over how the NHI will operate in South Africa. For more on this, Elvis Presslin spoke to Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Solidarity, Anton van der Bijl

Africa is joined by Vice-chairperson of the South African Medical Association (SAMA), Dr Mvuyisi Mzukwa to reflect on the National Assembly passing the National Health Insurance Bill earlier this week. SAMA says that the legislation is not clear on how problems in the health sector will be dealt withSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Guest: The Deputy Director General of National Health Insurance Nicholas Crisp joins Mike to discuss the National Health Insurance Bill.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There have been mixed reactions to the passing of the National Health Insurance Bill by the National Assembly. The Department of Health says it welcomes this while other stakeholders say there has to be  drastic improvements in the health system first for the the NHI to work. Meanwhile, Solidarity says it is ready to challenge governemnt in court  if it goes ahead with its NHI plans. Sakina Kamwendo spoke to Head of Research at Solidarity, Connie Mulder and Founder and Director of the Health Justice Initiative, Fatima Hassan.

Today's Daily Friend with Nicholas Lorimer, Chris Hattingh and Gerbrandt van Heerden. They chat about the new minister of electricity and the failure of Eskom to improve the performance of its coal power plants. They also chat about the bad economic news, the National Health Insurance Bill and the planned ban on TikTok. Subscribe on Google Podcasts · Subscribe on Apple Podcasts · Subscribe on Spotify · Website · Facebook · Instagram · Twitter

  Clement is joined by the Deputy Director-General in the National Department of Health, Dr Nicholas Crisp to help us understand the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill and how it's going to work. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

DA leader Mmusi Maimane is threatening to go to court to halt the processing of the National Health Insurance Bill in Parliament. The Bill was tabled in Parliament last week and it has now been referred to the Health Portfolio Committee.

I am in conversation with one half of the Renegade Report Podcast, Roman Cabanac, about the recently announced introduction of the National Health Insurance Bill. This NHI Bill is nothing short of an attempt to nationalize healthcare provision in South Africa, and through the establishment of the NHI Fund, set up a cash-hungry behemoth of a bureaucracy, that'll rival Eskom. Fight against this Bill! Join the IRR campaign against it, visit www.irr.org.za, and click on the Stop NHI tab. www.youtube.com

Efficient Group chief economist Dawie Roodt says the National Health Insurance will only put more pressure on the overburdened taxpayers. He suggests that there are better alternatives that government could have considered. Health minister Aaron Motsoaledi released details of the National Health Insurance Bill and the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill yesterday. Elvis Preslin spoke to Efficient Group chief economist Dawie Roodt

Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi is today expected to unveil far-reaching proposals aimed at bringing about universal health coverage in the country. Motsoaledi is set to spell out details of the National Health Insurance Bill and the Medical Schemes Amendment Bill at a media briefing in Pretoria. On the back drop of that, A group of general practitioners tasked with overseeing the National Health Insurance Pilot project at the Vhembe district in Limpopo, say the pilot phase has collapsed. This follows the termination of their contracts for the first phase of the NHI project. MEC of Health Phophi Ramathuba says the general practitioners were employed by the national Health Department and the Foundation for Professional Development, which no longer has funds for their program. She says the NHI project has not collapsed. Katlego Nyoni compiled this report.