What happened with the Life Esidimeni tragedy will pale in comparison to what the National Health Insurance (NHI) will end up doing to South Africa’s healthcare system, said ActionSA.

During a recent visit to the Life Esidimeni Hospital in Randfontein by ActionSA president Herman Mashaba and Team Fix South Africa member for Health Dr Kgosi Letlape, and Team Fix South Africa member for Substance Abuse Dereleen James, the party joined the chorus of voices that raised concerns over the signing into law of the contentious bill.

Letlape, speaking outside the facility, said there was nothing wrong with the national health system concept. However, he said, “in that document they say to you it will never be fully functional for at least six to eight years and function in 2030 or 2033, which means people will be voting for something that will not be working for the full term of the next government but they will be collecting the money,” he said.

“Where do you think that money will be going? They are so brazen that they will collect the funds and they are telling you that we don’t have to deliver for the next eight years, you will get nothing for those but we will still be faced with a challenged healthcare system.”

Letlape stressed that a proper national health system had to be for everyone from day one and deliver from day one. He said Section 27 of the Constitution talked about the progressive realisation of health within available resources.

“So collecting money and saying that it is going to work in six or seven years’ time, there’s no progressive realisation, it is destructive procrastination and people will be dying as you procrastinate. But they don’t care as they will be getting care from private clinics or overseas medical schemes while the people suffer.

“There is nothing wrong with the national health system concept – we embrace it. There is nothing wrong with de-institutionalisation as was envisaged, but the way things happened at Life Esidimeni and what the president signed recently was to bring to life and nationalise that tragedy,” he said.

A number of civil society organisations and political parties including the DA and the South African Rainbow Alliance (SARA), said they would be approaching the courts to halt the bill since President Cyril Ramaphosa signed it into law on May 15.

The Star

goitsemang.matlhabe@inl.co.za