Signing NHI into law was reckless, the damage will be immeasurable

signing nhi into law was reckless, the damage will be immeasurable

Signing NHI into law was reckless, the damage will be immeasurable

Our health system, or what is left of it, has received a mortal blow. The signing of the NHI into law will take the entire health system into the gutter.

I’m receiving dozens of calls from medical practitioners who want to embark upon the retrenchment programme of their staff.

The health practitioners are making plans to close their practices and if they are young enough, qualify themselves abroad. Others who are beyond retirement age or reaching retirement have decided to commence the slow closure.

Above this, I’ve had six of my small company clients telling me that they want to cancel their medical aid as of June 1, to save money for the company and the employee.

A company employing 25 people has advised its staff that it intends to stop medical aid and people will be receiving more money in their account at the end of June due to this fortuitous saving. I suspect that the scenario is playing itself out between employers and employees across the country.

Our grossly negligent government has chosen not to embark upon an education programme, explaining to employers and their staff that nothing changes at this stage and that any effective commencement of the NHI would probably take a decade if the courts don’t shoot it down within the next year or so. My limited understanding of constitutional law leads me to believe that the law itself is illegal and won’t pass muster.

Our health system is in tatters and even the workers who should be covered by the Compensation Fund are struggling to access private medical aid because of the government’s incompetence.

The Department of Employment and Labour, through its Compensation Fund entity, has created a nightmare. If this is anything to go by, one can well imagine what would happen if national health insurance were practically implemented in South Africa.

Health practitioners across the board have sought employment elsewhere and have either emigrated or taken up temporary jobs in other jurisdictions.

One need only look at the nursing profession. It is denuded by nurses who are working under better conditions and receiving better pay in countries across the world.

I am aware that some political parties and other civil organisations have threatened to go to court immediately. The court cases could take months, if not years. We have an immediate problem in South Africa in that people believe the NHI is imminent and ready to be introduced.

The signing of the legislation at this stage has to be because we are on the cusp of an election. This is reckless and the damage will be immeasurable. It is incumbent upon a dying administration governed by the ANC to at least explain to the workforce of South Africa that they should not change their status of being covered by medical aid and the like.

It is also important for the message to go out to the employers, that they mustn’t do anything rash and must immediately reverse any plans that they might have about cancelling medical aid. It is also incumbent upon the various medical aid schemes to speak up now and explain the situation.

We can ill afford to lose the skills of all our medical practitioners across the board. It’s incumbent upon the various provinces to explain, through the provincial departments of health, that the signing of the NHI changes nothing at present.

The unfortunate speech made by the Gauteng premier is incredibly destructive in that the premier promised the people that they would have access to private medical health come the June 1, 2024.

The premier should be disciplined for making the inflammatory speech and should be made to apologise to the people of South Africa.

The message must go out there that even if partially implemented, the NHI will not give everyone access to private health care.

Finally, there are rumours that the cost of the Unemployment Insurance Fund contributions will rocket to fund the NHI. This has neither been debated nor is it imminent.

* Michael Bagraim is a veteran labour lawyer, and a Democratic Alliance MP.

** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.

Cape Argus

Do you have something on your mind; or want to comment on the big stories of the day? We would love to hear from you. Please send your letters to [email protected].

All letters to be considered for publication, must contain full names, addresses and contact details (not for publication)

OTHER NEWS

23 minutes ago

Chris Jordan becomes first England bowler to take T20I hat-trick; joins Pat Cummins to pick third in 2024 T20 World Cup

23 minutes ago

Pro-Trump extremists are sure he will win. That could be dangerous.

23 minutes ago

United Rugby Championship Team of the Season: Glasgow Warriors lead the way after triumphant campaign

23 minutes ago

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer double down as they take fresh swipe at Harry Kane

23 minutes ago

Anthony Joshua shares bizarre video of himself undergoing 'hot cupping' treatment as he refuses to slack off ahead of expected Daniel Dubois showdown later this year

23 minutes ago

How to stop a tummy bug ruining your holiday: What to eat in the week before you leave, the supplements to take and why fungi might help by microbiome scientist DR EMILY LEEMING

23 minutes ago

Taylor Swift's London gigs became the royal event of the summer with Prince William, Charlotte and George joining Zara and Mike Tindall as well as members of the  Greek and Spanish monarchies

23 minutes ago

Incredible bronze bust depicting sexually-depraved Roman Emperor Caligula that was excavated near Mount Vesuvius is found after nearly 200 years

27 minutes ago

Why The Cast Of Alien: Romulus Looks So Familiar

27 minutes ago

Video: ANOTHER tourist dies in blistering heatwave in Greece - the sixth since the death of Dr Michael Mosley - while two more are still missing as country is blasted with 44C temperatures and wildfires

27 minutes ago

Join Life Kit on a journey to improve your sleep

27 minutes ago

ANALYSIS: What’s happening with Jets prospect Rutger McGroarty?

32 minutes ago

Wrestling legend 2 Cold Scorpio 'arrested over violent stabbing' but ex-WWE star claims self defense

32 minutes ago

Countdown to celebrations ahead of Tour Down Under

32 minutes ago

Fans praise Slovakia's 'genius' fake throw-in which led to Ivan Schranz's goal in Euro 2024 clash against Ukraine with Lukas Haraslin and David Hancko confusing their opponents

32 minutes ago

‘Score one for NSW’: King Charles attending The Everest but not Melbourne Cup

32 minutes ago

Fears over new North Korean rubbish balloon launches toward South

32 minutes ago

Forget STEM. Head of Paris’s top tech university says the secret to France’s AI boom is a focus on the humanities

33 minutes ago

Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny storm Vogue World's Paris Fashion Week takeover

33 minutes ago

Kerry Katona 'still struggling' after nose surgery

33 minutes ago

Jane Lynch channels Anne Robinson on The Weakest Link

33 minutes ago

Nicola Peltz-Beckham vows to 'relentlessly investigate' dog's death

33 minutes ago

Ford RS200 and Escort Mk1 to make an official comeback

33 minutes ago

Protesters at PGA tournament today: Climate activists disrupt play on 18th green at Travelers Championship

33 minutes ago

PGA Tour commentator slammed for 'lying' about LIV Golf innovation

33 minutes ago

EFF stands with Kenyan protesters against new Finance Bill

33 minutes ago

Soccer-Spalletti set to shake things up for Italy's clash with Croatia

33 minutes ago

Ted Scott, Scottie Scheffler's caddie, has likely made more money than 80 percent of PGA Tour players in 2024

33 minutes ago

MLB Roundup: Diaz sparks offence as Rays earn win over Skenes, Pirates

33 minutes ago

Why you should go to Legoland Dubai Resort on Tuesday

33 minutes ago

Mona hangs Picassos in women’s toilet in response to court ruling

37 minutes ago

Seine suspense as Paris counts down to Olympics

40 minutes ago

Star Trek's Grossest Food Detail Might Make You Sick

40 minutes ago

Earl Spencer discovers Roman bracelet in grounds of Althorp Estate during excavation - days after he's spotted on date with archeologist

40 minutes ago

My husband died in my arms as we waited too long for an ambulance

40 minutes ago

Financial sextortion most often targets teen boys via Instagram, according to new data

40 minutes ago

Woman admits splashing hot water on her 4 kids on suspicion that one of them stole her cash

40 minutes ago

Xhaka hails revamped Swiss after reaching knockout stages again

40 minutes ago

Ties between Singapore, Italy deepening: President Tharman

40 minutes ago

Hilton Dubai Palm has a 29-hour staycation offer