LETTER: An unhealthy health minister

It is unbelievable that health minister Joe Phaahla, a medical doctor, can be so fixated on implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) that he flies all the way to New York to insist on the desirability of its implementation, despite all the detailed arguments put forward by a diversity of professionals, civil organisations, unions and individuals.

These have all said implementing NHI in its present form, and given the ailing status of our health system, would be a disaster likely to lead to the total collapse of healthcare in SA.

While problematic areas have been identified and made known to government and the health department, the minister makes no effort to tell stakeholders what efforts have been made to address issues of concern, if any.

How much more time are we going to waste arguing about what is clearly impossible to achieve at this point? It is only seven months to go before the general election that is likely to change everything, further demonstrating the futility of this dialogue.

A petition showing how the majority of South Africans feel about universal health coverage has gathered almost 75,000 signatures. Why would government, even after a broad consultation exercise that raised many issues, still want to forge ahead with this ill-conceived idea? It gives the impression that Phaahla has ulterior motives far removed from improving healthcare delivery.

All South Africans who have the interests of the nation at heart must demand that government improve and address existing problems and challenges facing healthcare delivery, and  undertake thorough research to have a better understanding of universal healthcare coverage, its requirements, advantages and challenges.

Cometh Dube-Makholwa
Midrand

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