DA supports SAMA’s fight against NHI
25 July 2023
The DA takes note of a South African Medical Association (SAMA) petition against the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill with more than 56 000 signatures to date, and we encourage all medical professionals, stakeholders and South Africans to sign the petition.
SAMA shares many of the DA’s concerns with not only the NHI Bill, but also the fact that criticisms and objections to the Bill have been wilfully ignored by the ANC members of the parliamentary portfolio committee on health, who pushed the Bill through the National Assembly.
We implore the members in the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) to truly scrutinise the Bill, take the concerns of medical professionals, experts, stakeholders and the wider public into consideration, and reject the Bill.
The consequences of policymakers ignoring the concerns and grievances of health professionals and experts will be perilous and will certainly not encourage them to invest their skills in a country that refuses to take them seriously.