NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

FOR ORAL REPLY

QUESTION NO. 87

Questions Day: 18 March 2015

DATE OF PUBLICATION IN INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER: 10 MARCH 2015  

(INTERNAL QUESTION PAPER NO. 06)

Dr H C Volmink (DA) to ask the Minister of Health:

(1) What has been the cause of the delay of the release of the National Health Insurance (NHI) White Paper;

(2) whether he can provide a date on which the (a) NHI White Paper and (b) financing paper will be published or tabled in the National Assembly; if not, why not; if so, in which month and year?

NO773E

REPLY:

(1) The National Department of Health has been working on revising the White Paper on NHI taking into account the 150 written submissions that were received as comments and inputs from various stakeholders. Additionally, due to the complexity of the proposed reforms, the Department has been involved in various deliberations with the National Treasury regarding key aspects such as institutional and financing reforms. Both these matters have impacted on the timeframe within which the White Paper could be released.

(2) (a) Taking into account the response in part (1), it is anticipated that the White Paper on NHI will be published and tabled in the National Assembly before the end of December 2015, but it will go through the Cabinet process in the next four (4) weeks.

(b) With regards to the Financing Paper on NHI, this document is being prepared by the National Treasury, with inputs from the National Department of Health. Due to the strong links between the two papers, it was agreed that they would be published and tabled together. Therefore, it is anticipated that the Minister of Finance will also publish and table the financing paper in the National Assembly before the end of December 2015, but with the next four (4) weeks through the Cabinet process. 

END

Issued by Parliament, March 19 2015

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