President Cyril Ramaphosa Promises National Health Insurance Fund Won’t Be Looted
- President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government learned lessons from the rampant looting that took place during the COVID-19 pandemic
- To this end, he promised that the government would keep a sharp eye open to prevent the National Health Insurance Fund from being looted
- The CEO of First Care Group, Dr Steven Holt, gave Briefly News his views on the NHI and its impact on the country
- South Africans found his comments laughable, and many were convinced that the NHI would fall victim to looting
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Tebogo Mokwena, a Briefly News current affairs journalist in Johannesburg, South Africa, has covered policy changes, the State of the Nation Address, politician-related news and elections at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News for over seven years.
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JOHANNESBURG— President Cyril Ramaphosa said the government learned lessons in dealing with corruption and promised that the National Health Insurance Fund would not be its next victim.
NHI won't be looted
BusinessTech reported that Ramaphosa, in a recent interview, conceded that the government erred in the personal protection equipment (PPE) tender corruption scandal that rocked the nation during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"(He was the) first to concede that when it came to the public protection equipment, we made a mistake."
He said this mistake set off a feeding frenzy, which the tender was a victim of, as they allowed many businesses to be PPE providers. Ramaphosa also said things would differ regarding the NHI Fund, which was recently signed into law. He also conceded that it would not be impervious to looting. He added that people who want to steal would always find loopholes to exploit.
FirstCare CEO Dr Steven Holt talks about NHI concerns
Speaking to Briefly News, FirstCare Group CEO Dr. Steven Holt expressed his concerns about the NHI Act.
"At the centre of the controversy is the funding of the NHI Fund. The NHI fund is estimated to require up to R600 billion rand to deliver its proposed services. It is proposed in the bill that this funding will come from several sources, however none of these sources are yet approved. The NHI fund aims to get funding from the reallocation of tax credits for medical aid members, a payroll tax, medical aid contributions, the potential raising of personal income tax, and the allocation of the health budget from provinces. These funding strategies are likely to place an impossible burden on the country as the paying tax base, and the other proposed sources simply cannot cover the cost," he said.
Netizens wary of possible looting
South Africans on Facebook were wary that the NHI would fall victim to looting as many state-owned enterprises in the past.
Amu-NwaJulius Ngobeni-Xeka said:
"Sounds just like that boyfriend that keeps promising that he won't cheat anymore after being caught for the 30th time."
Leonard Paul Van Tonder said:
"Heard that too many times before the collapse."
Craig Phlman said:
"That statement in itself is a lie."
Michael Wiehe said:
"Start arresting people on the state capture report."
Mmusi Maimane challenges Ramaphosa to cancel medical aid
In a similar article, Briefly News reported that Mmusi Maimane challenged Ramaphosa to cancel his medical aid and use public healthcare facilities before signing the NHI Act into law.
He spoke about this on the day Ramaphosa signed the Bill, which faced fierce opposition in the public sector.
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Source: Briefly News
