Parliament, Wednesday 15 March 2023 – The Portfolio Committee on Health was briefed by the Parliamentary Legal Services and the State Law Advisors on the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill.
This committee briefing forms part of the legislative processes for the NHI Bill. The briefing forms part of the process the committee must undertake to ensure that the Bill goes through the proper parliamentary processes. The committee has conducted a public participation process of provincial and virtual public hearings. Following that, the committee received inputs from the Department of Health (which is the sponsor of the Bill) responding to the inputs and recommendations received during the public participation process. Thereafter, the committee conducted clause by clause deliberations of the Bill.
Committee Chairperson Dr Kenneth Jacobs said the briefing today provided the committee with a legal opinion on the Bill. Further engagement will resume next week when the members meet to discuss the legal practitioners’ input.
On 20 July 2021, the SA NCDs Alliance is co-hosting and coordinating a people’s consultation on universal health coverage (UHC). This is especially for you if you use government health services.
The South African version of UHC is called “national health insurance” or NHI. But are we talking about the same thing? There are some big differences. What do you think?
The event is a virtual focus group lasting 2 hours with 30 participants. You can only participate if you apply. We want to hear your voice especially if you are part of a vulnerable or hard-to-reach group that uses public or government health services. So you need to complete that application form and showing us why your participation is important.
Apply to join the conversation here
- People who are left behind or have trouble having their health needs met before or during COVID-19?
- Civil society participants, breakout group facilitators or note-takers.
We want to make sure that we hear from you, the people, and especially if you are in that “seldom heard” and vulnerable group. We can help a few selected participants with data package to participate on the day.
The event forms part of the United Nations Civil Society Engagement Mechanism (CSEM) for UHC2030 efforts to gather South African insights on the state of UHC. Your views will be inputted into the UN State of the UHC Commitment Report for publication at the end of 2021 (around UHC Day 12 Dec). Here is the 2020 State of the UHC Commitment Report.
An excellent and relevant reference just published by WHO is Voice, agency, empowerment: Handbook on social participation for UHC 2021
The SANCDA, together with over 130 of our global NCDs comrades, asked our governments and officials to take action. Click here to read the letter. For a list of signatories click here.
Action is required to make universal health coverage (UHC) in our countries.
