Government’s projected funding target of R457bn by year 14 of the NHI plan is “entirely unaffordable” for SA’s already strained fiscus, according to Thoneshan Naidoo, CEO of the Health Funders Association (HFA). – The Citizen (12 Nov 2025)
The most immediate threat, according to the HFA, lies in the confusion surrounding the removal of medical scheme tax credits to fund NHI Fund.
“Government messaging on when and for whom these credits will be removed remains dangerously inconsistent.”
The Minister of Health recently assured the High Court there was ‘no intention’ in the short or medium term to remove credits for low- and middle-income taxpayers. However, just weeks later Parliament was told that credits may be phased out from 2026-27.
The HFA recently called on the National Treasury to clarify its position, “given the severe harm the current plan imposes on medical schemes, business confidence, and ordinary households”.
“Naidoo asserts that universal health coverage ‘must be realistic, inclusive and fiscally sustainable’ and that ‘alternate pathways through phased reforms and collaborative models’ exist.