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Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said a few weeks back that, come June 1 2024, the people of SA will be able to go to any doctor or any hospital of their choice for free. File photo: SANDILE NDLOVU
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi said a few weeks back that, come June 1 2024, the people of SA will be able to go to any doctor or any hospital of their choice for free. File photo: SANDILE NDLOVU

Your article, “Signing of NHI Bill is a gimmick — opposition”, (16 May) refers.

 The signing of the National Health Insurance Bill into law presents enormous immediate problems for employers and employees in SA.

A statement was made by Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi a few weeks back that, come June 1 2024, the people of SA will be able to go to any doctor or any hospital of their choice for free. 

Coming hot on the heels of this statement is now the reckless signing of the legislation. The message this has sent to the workers of SA and many of the employers is that indeed Lesufi could be correct.

As a labour lawyer, I am receiving dozens of messages and phone calls from small businesses asking me if they can cancel the medical aid of their staff. Many of these businesses have seen this as a means of saving money in the future. I suspect these phone calls and messages are just the tip of the iceberg. 

I have now spoken to small businesses who have already cancelled their medical aid and advised the staff that there will be no longer any deductions for medical aid. This is an absolute nightmare. I can envisage that some people will indeed arrive at medical practitioners and private medical facilities demanding help within the next two weeks.

Government and in particular the ANC does not realise what a nightmare they have produced.

Over and above the above scenario, I am speaking to dozens of medical practitioners who are in the process of embarking on plans to emigrate and or close their practices.   These queries have included calls for help to retrench their staff. I have tried to explain to many of these practitioners that the mere signing of the NHI Bill is indeed a gimmick for election purposes.

I cannot see how the government will be able to justify its actions in the Constitutional Court and I cannot see how the government will raise the billions of rand to try to even make it work.

My purpose of writing this letter is to inform the readers that no rash decisions to emigrate and to cancel medical aid must be made!

Michael Bagraim, MP
DA labour spokesperson

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