In an interview Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi repeated his commitment to implement the National Health Insurance (NHI) policy, despite facing legal challenges and political opposition within the new government of national unity, reported Business Day (12 July2024).
He criticised medical schemes and private healthcare providers for exploiting patients for profit, saying that medical schemes only fully cover certain conditions, leaving patients to bear additional costs as private providers charge exorbitant fees.
Motsoaledi dismissed any possibility of amending section 33 of the National Health Insurance Act, which restricts medical schemes to covering only services not provided under the NHI. He also criticised the notion of low-cost benefit options (LCBOs) for medical schemes, which some proponents argue could make private healthcare accessible to millions more people and alleviate pressure on the public health sector.