In an unprecedented move, business organisations have written to the presiding officers of the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) as well as Deputy President Paul Mashatile - who is the leader of government business - with an urgent appeal to stop the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill from being passed by Parliament's second house on Wednesday.
Last week, the NCOP Select Committee on Health and Social Services adopted the bill without any amendments to the version passed by the National Assembly, despite intense lobbying from the Business Unity SA (BUSA), Business for SA (B4SA), and healthcare professionals.
As Wednesday's sitting approaches, healthcare professionals also voiced their concerns over the NCOP's refusal to amend the bill, which has moved almost entirely unchanged through the parliamentary process since 2019. Once passed by the NCOP, it will be sent to President Cyril Ramaphosa to sign into law.