NHI: 'Exodus' of doctors if bill is signed into law, healthcare bodies warn

SA will see an "exodus" of doctors, while the country’s struggling poor and middle-class will suffer through higher taxes if President Cyril Ramaphosa signs the 'unconstitutional' National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill into law in its current form, numerous healthcare associations say.

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP) voted on Wednesday in favour of the bill, which aims to establish universal healthcare for all South Africans by abolishing the "two-tier" system, in which the bulk of healthcare spending is made in the private sector for the benefit of the few, while the mass of the population is relegated to the "underfunded" public sector.

While the South African Medical Association (SAMA), the Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF) and the Hospital Association of South Africa (HASA), all expressed their commitment to universal health coverage, they said the legislation suffers from fundamental problems, including a lack of input or participation from the industry during the process.