Cyril Ramaphosa to Sign NHI Bill Into Law on 15 May, South Africans Furious

• South Africa's president, Cyril Ramaphosa, is expected to sign the National Health Insurance Bill into law this week
• The Bill seeks to provide healthcare to those who cannot afford to pay for medical aid
• First Care group CEO Dr Steven Holt shared his views about the NHI with Briefly News
• South Africans, though, were in an uproar, and many people rejected it, denouncing it as a terrible idea

Tebogo Mokwena, a dedicated Briefly News current affairs journalist, contributed coverage of international and local social issues like health, corruption, education, service delivery protests and heritage in South Africa during his seven years at Daily Sun and Vutivi Business News.

JOHANNESBURG – President Cyril Ramaphosa caused a furore when the Presidency announced that he would sign the National Health Insurance bill into law on 15 May.

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Ramaphosa to make NHI Bill a law

@PresidencyZA posted on its X account. According to the statement, Ramaphosa will officially make the NHI bill into law on Wednesday. The Bill is expected to make healthcare affordable for those who cannot afford quality healthcare.

The NHI Bill faced resistance and opposition from the public, as many believed taxpayers would have to foot the bill of those receiving free medical care through the National Health Insurance. Read the statement here:

Dr Steven Holt weighs in on NHI

First Care's CEO, Dr. Steven Holt, spoke to Briefly News about the bill.

"It is my view that the timing of signing the NHI bill ahead of the elections is intentional. It is likely that the implementation of the bill and the fund will take decades to happen and will likely see many changes before it finally comes to fruition. This is disappointing as there are so many innovative ways of delivering healthcare to more people without dismantling the existing structures and by engaging with the private sector to be part of the solution. Again, it is my view that the fund should not be a single payer system, can only be implemented once significant changes have been made and should then be implemented once an approved and sensible funding system can be tested," he said.

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South Africans are not happy

Not everyone was pleased with the announcement. South Africans voiced their frustrations.

Nema Jnr asked:

"What will increase for the entire country to benefit from this NHI?"

Gistwhere said:

"A disaster awaits to happen."

Renaissance Man said:

"Another monumental ANC failure loading."

Morbara who is on yellow card said:

"So you don't take disapproval from the public into consideration? That bill is a disaster."

Brian Aronoff said:

"When you are desperate for votes, go for the nuclear option."

Louis Boschoff said:

"Afriforum is ready for this. The next round is in court."

Jan Van Riebeeck asked:

"Why was this bill signed without answering many questions from the public?"

Cyril Ramaphosa denies stopping loadshedding as election strategy

In a similar article, Briefly News reported that Ramaphosa slammed claims that he stopped blackouts to campaign for votes for the African National Congress.

Addressing the media in Durban recently, Ramaphosa said the government is focusing on transmission lines, and the absence of loadshedding is the government doing right by citizens.

Source: Briefly News