NHI bill was certified constitutional, State law advisor says
The controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill was constitutionally certified before it was submitted to Parliament, chief State law advisor Ayesha Johaar told MPs on Thursday.
Johaar told the portfolio committee on health the bill was certified on July 29.
She said State law advisors viewed it not only as being in line with the Constitution but written to give effect to the right to access health care services enshrined in Section 27 of the Constitution.
"Everyone has the right to access health care services .... this bill must then be regarded as a measure designed to give effect to a right enshrined in the constitution."
The Democratic Alliance (DA) earlier this month called on Parliament to say whether the bill had been certified as unconstitutional.
DA leader Mmusi Maimane said it was his view that the draft law may not pass constitutional muster, in part because it centralised health care services and eroded the powers of provinces in this regard.
Maimane also described the bill as a plan to create another State-owned enterprise, at a time when Eskom's woes has put in question the government's ability to run parastatals.
Health Minister Zweli Mkhize this week told the media that government would handle the implementation of the NHI cautiously and had no intention of bankrupting the country.
On Thursday, he told MPs that the measure was in line with "the principle of social solidarity" by which South Africans took care of each other.
The bill gives effect to a resolution adopted by the ruling party in 2007.
It is aimed at addressing the imbalance in the health care system which sees 84 percent of the population rely on an understaffed public system while 16 percent have access to private health care.
Article Enquiry
Email Article
Save Article
Feedback
To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Roytec Global is an international company specializing in liquid / solid and mineral separation technologies for the Mining and Industrial sectors.
VISIT SHOWROOM
Virtual Gas Network supplies compressed natural gas via a virtual gas distribution network.
VISIT SHOWROOM
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
