Now medical professionals say they will not sign Ramaphosa’s health compact
SA Health Professionals Collaboration joins Busa in objecting to endorsement of NHI
16 August 2024 - 05:00
by Linda Ensor
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Health professionals in their thousands will not sign the president’s health compact, adding impetus to the flurry of objections that are reducing the credibility of the document.
Business Unity SA (Busa), which represents organised business, and the SA Medical Association (Sama) have already indicated they will not sign the compact because it endorses the National Health Insurance (NHI), which they oppose.
The signing of the compact at the presidential health summit was postponed from to Thursday next week, but Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa, said this was “due to changes in the diary that had to be accommodated”. He was adamant that it had noting to do with the opposition to NHI.
The draft compact circulated last week contains an article that says the government and other stakeholders commit themselves to achieving universal health coverage through NHI. Another article declares the government and all other stakeholders commit to jointly implementing NHI-related health systems and service improvement plans.
The SA Health Professionals Collaboration (SAHPC), which represents 25,000 public and private healthcare professionals, said in a statement on Thursday that it will not be signing the compact.
The SAHPC, which represents nine medical, dental and allied healthcare practitioners’ associations, said in a statement that the health compact was “nothing more than an attempt to lock in support for the NHI.
“While the SAHPC acknowledges that health reforms are necessary to address the challenges in the country’s healthcare system, it believes the way that the health compact has been written is fundamentally biased towards solidifying support for the NHI Act as the sole solution to achieving universal health coverage.
“The compact heavily focuses on the NHI, presenting it as the only viable option for the country, which we don’t accept.”
SAHPC spokesperson Simon Strachan said the numerous proposals and concerns of the organisation had not been acknowledged.
“What is needed is urgent formal engagement with the president on the NHI and ways of achieving universal health coverage to ensure health reform is fit for purpose and truly benefits patients, the economy and the country. “It is important that health reforms are developed in partnership with all those that are mandated to deliver this critical service,” Strachan said.
The SAHPC represents Sama, the SA Private Practitioners Forum, Federation of SA Surgeons, SA Dental Association, SA Society of Anaesthesiologists, Unity Forum of Family Practitioners, SA Orthopaedic Association, SA Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Radiological Society of SA.
In a statement Sama said it supported the compact’s emphasis on strengthening human resources for health, enhancing governance and financial management, and ensuring equitable access to healthcare products and services. But it had “serious concerns about the current NHI model as the primary vehicle for achieving these goals” and called for a re-evaluation of the NHI framework.
“We recommend that references to NHI in the presidential health compact be reconsidered to allow for alternative models of achieving universal health coverage,” Sama said.
Busa CEO Cas Coovadia said the draft of the compact that was shared with Busa promoted the NHI in its current form as the foundation underpinning healthcare reform. “Busa does not agree with this given the serious differences between us and government as to the appropriateness of the NHI Act, let alone its feasibility as a legislative instrument to underpin universal health coverage.”
Coovadia said there had been no consultation on the updated wording of the compact, which had been “unilaterally” amended even though the intention had been to collaborate on how the public health sector could be improved. “If you want a compact everyone will sign, then have a compact that everyone agrees on,” he said.
The NHI Act — signed by Ramaphosa on May 15 but not yet promulgated — faces legal challenges from trade union Solidarity and the Board of Healthcare Funders, which represents medical schemes and administrators.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Now medical professionals say they will not sign Ramaphosa’s health compact
SA Health Professionals Collaboration joins Busa in objecting to endorsement of NHI
Health professionals in their thousands will not sign the president’s health compact, adding impetus to the flurry of objections that are reducing the credibility of the document.
Business Unity SA (Busa), which represents organised business, and the SA Medical Association (Sama) have already indicated they will not sign the compact because it endorses the National Health Insurance (NHI), which they oppose.
The signing of the compact at the presidential health summit was postponed from to Thursday next week, but Vincent Magwenya, spokesperson for President Cyril Ramaphosa, said this was “due to changes in the diary that had to be accommodated”. He was adamant that it had noting to do with the opposition to NHI.
The draft compact circulated last week contains an article that says the government and other stakeholders commit themselves to achieving universal health coverage through NHI. Another article declares the government and all other stakeholders commit to jointly implementing NHI-related health systems and service improvement plans.
The SA Health Professionals Collaboration (SAHPC), which represents 25,000 public and private healthcare professionals, said in a statement on Thursday that it will not be signing the compact.
The SAHPC, which represents nine medical, dental and allied healthcare practitioners’ associations, said in a statement that the health compact was “nothing more than an attempt to lock in support for the NHI.
“While the SAHPC acknowledges that health reforms are necessary to address the challenges in the country’s healthcare system, it believes the way that the health compact has been written is fundamentally biased towards solidifying support for the NHI Act as the sole solution to achieving universal health coverage.
“The compact heavily focuses on the NHI, presenting it as the only viable option for the country, which we don’t accept.”
SAHPC spokesperson Simon Strachan said the numerous proposals and concerns of the organisation had not been acknowledged.
“What is needed is urgent formal engagement with the president on the NHI and ways of achieving universal health coverage to ensure health reform is fit for purpose and truly benefits patients, the economy and the country. “It is important that health reforms are developed in partnership with all those that are mandated to deliver this critical service,” Strachan said.
The SAHPC represents Sama, the SA Private Practitioners Forum, Federation of SA Surgeons, SA Dental Association, SA Society of Anaesthesiologists, Unity Forum of Family Practitioners, SA Orthopaedic Association, SA Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and the Radiological Society of SA.
In a statement Sama said it supported the compact’s emphasis on strengthening human resources for health, enhancing governance and financial management, and ensuring equitable access to healthcare products and services. But it had “serious concerns about the current NHI model as the primary vehicle for achieving these goals” and called for a re-evaluation of the NHI framework.
“We recommend that references to NHI in the presidential health compact be reconsidered to allow for alternative models of achieving universal health coverage,” Sama said.
Busa CEO Cas Coovadia said the draft of the compact that was shared with Busa promoted the NHI in its current form as the foundation underpinning healthcare reform. “Busa does not agree with this given the serious differences between us and government as to the appropriateness of the NHI Act, let alone its feasibility as a legislative instrument to underpin universal health coverage.”
Coovadia said there had been no consultation on the updated wording of the compact, which had been “unilaterally” amended even though the intention had been to collaborate on how the public health sector could be improved. “If you want a compact everyone will sign, then have a compact that everyone agrees on,” he said.
The NHI Act — signed by Ramaphosa on May 15 but not yet promulgated — faces legal challenges from trade union Solidarity and the Board of Healthcare Funders, which represents medical schemes and administrators.
ensorl@businesslive.co.za
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