Health Minister, Dr Joe Phaahla, has urged healthcare workers not to be swayed by fearmongers pushing for emigration from South Africa due to the National Health Insurance (NHI).
‘Don’t listen to doomsayers and the scaremongers who are telling you that things are going to collapse and [you] must leave now that the President has [signed the Bill], [and you must] find the first flight [out of the country]. Stay here. Things are going to get better.
‘This is our only country. We’re going to make sure that what we have achieved in the last 30 years can only get better and not worse,’ Phaahla told medical professionals.
Phaahla was speaking at the signing of the NHI Bill into law by President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings on Wednesday.
READ | President Ramaphosa signs NHI Bill into law
He urged all citizens to collaborate with government and be part of the solutions to achieve a fair, just, and sustainable health system that caters to the health needs of all citizens, regardless of their location or
socioeconomic status.
According to the Minister, inequities that characterise South Africa’s health system are unjustifiable and require fundamental overhauling to ensure equity and sustainability.
‘Families have faced agonising decisions, having to choose between necessities and necessary medical care.
‘This reality does not align with the vision we hold for South Africa, where every citizen should enjoy their life to the fullest potential,’ said the Minister.
Phaahla described the signing of the Bill as a historic milestone, which paves the way for government to forge ahead with universal health coverage (UHC).
Source: South African Government News Agency