What the fee protests have to do with universal healthcare and the NHI
South Africa has been experiencing four weeks of violent protests on campuses all around the country because students are demanding that the government delivers on promises of "free education". These fee protests, along with the 3,542 violent protests recorded in 2015-16 and 11,151 peaceful protests, give an indication that South African citizens are holding the government accountable for the promises that are made to ensure votes in election years. This has some serious implications for the promise of "free healthcare for all" being made in the National Health Insurance (NHI) white paper. When it comes to healthcare funding, the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicates that universal healthcare "does not mean free coverage for all possible health interventions, regardless of the cost, as no country can provide all services free of charge on a sustainable basis". The decision to provide free healthcare for all in South Africa was thus a political one, ignoring the WHO position on t...
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