Health Portfolio Committee Chairperson Responds to DA Statement on NHI

The statement by the DA leader Mr Mike Waters on the National Health Insurance (NHI)  earlier this week can, in simple terms  be described as pretentious, reckless and in fact,  inconsiderate of the health needs of the poor people in our country.

In his statement, the Honourable Waters suggested that the proposed NHI would not benefit the poor in our country but would instead impoverish them even more.

As Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Health I regard this statement as very unfortunate and in fact indicative of the kind of interests that the Hon Waters and his party represent.

It is a known fact that access to healthcare in our country is still characterised by the depth of one's pocket and their overall socio-economic standing in society. As we speak, about 87% of our population are dependent on the country's over-stretched and under-resourced public health system weighed down by the increasing burden of disease.

On the other hand, our country has a highly resourced private health sector that services the needs of a mere 13% of our population. It is within this context that the ruling party took a resolution to introduce the NHI as part of bringing about equity in the provision of healthcare in our country. It is this simple reality that the Hon Waters and his party need to understand and accept. Equally, our Constitution makes it very clear that access to healthcare is a human right and failure to correct these inequities will seriously undermine this right.

The Portfolio Committee, of which Hon Waters is a member, will in due course start with the process of public hearings which will allow all South Africans, rich and poor to articulate their views on the matter and determine how they want the NHI to work for them.

As Chair of the Committee, I will be bound by our country's Constitution to make sure that all voices are heard in shaping the kind of NHI that we want for our country. Farm labourers, academics, mine workers, street sweepers and the unemployed will have an equal opportunity to express their views on the matter.

Statement issued by Bevan Goqwana, chairperson of the portfolio committee on health, Parliament, December 7 2011

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