The Congress of South African Trade Unions warmly welcomes the appointment of the Ministerial Advisory Committee on National Health Insurance (NHI), which is to advise the Minister on aspects of NHI Policy, to enrich the development of policy and legislation and the implementation plan for the NHI system (see here).

The federation congratulates those who have been appointed and is confident that they will listen to the comments made by the public on the White Paper on NHI and advise the Ministry wisely on what to include in the final NHI implementation plan.

COSATU notes with concern however the campaign waged in the media to discredit and undermine the government's plans for quality health care, which was central to the ANC manifesto and is fully supported by all the Alliance partners.

These faceless sources who are criticising the NHI are the beneficiaries of the current system which favours the few. They don't want the poor to get better health care service. They are perpetuating the widening of the gap between the poor and rich as they represent the private sector's interests.

COSATU and its affiliates are fully committed and involved in the campaign to promote and popularise this absolutely necessary transformation of our deeply unequal and inadequate healthcare system.

Statement issued by Patrick Craven, national spokesperson of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, November 10 2009

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