COSATU welcomes the National Assembly’s adoption of the National Health Insurance Bill

13 June 2023

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the National Assembly’s adoption of the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill today. COSATU and the overwhelming majority of workers are in support of an NHI. The majority of South Africans, in particular the working class, lack access to quality and affordable health care. This is not due to lack of resources but to their blatantly skewed distribution.

South Africa spends 8.5% of its Gross Domestic Product on healthcare. This is higher than many industrialised and peer nations. However, half of this is spent on the 16% of society fortunate enough to have medical aid. The other half is spent on public health care for the 84% dependent upon the state. As a result, we have 1st class but under utilised private health care available for 16% but charged at exorbitant prices and public health care overwhelmed with long queues, critical post vacancies, aging infrastructure and shortages and thus battling to provide basic health care for the 84% of society.

Consequently, many workers and their families are infected and dying from easily preventable and manageable diseases. Even workers fortunate enough to have medical aid, battle to afford to pay the ever-increasing medical tariffs. Most workers’ medical aids are depleted halfway through the year, and they are saddled with unaffordable co-payments. They are often forced to forego necessary but unaffordable treatment.

The reality is that South Africa’s public and private health care systems are broken and unsustainable. It is critical that the NHI Bill now be processed and passed by the National Council of Provinces. Government needs to move with speed to resource and build a quality NHI that will guarantee quality, accessible and affordable universal health coverage for all South Africans. Internationally the equivalents of an NHI have worked well and provide positive models for South Africa.

We simply cannot afford to be a nation that 29 years into democracy still grapples with the blatantly unequal and racially skewed distribution of resources and access to health care. The right to life and access to health care is a constitutional right. It is time that all South Africans are afforded this right.

Issued by Matthew Parks, Parliamentary Coordinator, COSATU, 14 June 2023