South Africa’s Ramaphosa signs health bill weeks before election
Al Jazeera
The National Health Insurance Act takes aim at South Africa’s two-tier health system.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed into law a bill that aims to provide universal health coverage.
The president on Wednesday hailed the law as a major step towards a more just society two weeks before an election that is expected to be fiercely competitive.
“The provision of healthcare in this country is fragmented, unsustainable and unacceptable,” he said at the signing ceremony at the Union Buildings, the seat of government in Pretoria.
“For those who would like to see (their) privileges continuing, sorry, you are on the wrong boat. The boat we are on is about equality,” he said.
The National Health Insurance (NHI) Act takes aim at a two-tier health system, in which a publicly funded sector that serves 84 percent of the population is overburdened and run-down while some people have access to better treatment through private insurance.
