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“Ignoring the systemic issues, NHI seeks to level the playing field between private and public healthcare by securing state control of all healthcare infrastructure, funding and provisioning. As constructed, the legislation enables a de facto nationalisation of the private healthcare sector, perhaps not in ownership but in control.”
Afriforum, one of the organisations taking the President to Court, warned that the “true cost of NHI will be much more than its mere rand value,” adding that the loss of constitutional rights and freedom of choice would carry a far higher price. As an aside,
“Judges will have to determine not only the legality of specific provisions of the Act but whether the concentration of purchasing and regulatory authority in a single state-controlled entity passes constitutional muster. SA’s health insurance and healthcare provider landscapes will thus be influenced up by the courts; it could be years before the NHI path is clear, and longer still before any definitive progress is made.
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