National Health Insurance (NHI) is doomed to fail as a state-owned enterprise (SOE) and should certainly not be left under the control of the department of health.
On March 2 health director-general Sandile Buthelezi was arrested on charges of fraud and theft. A court granted him R10,000 bail but barred him from entering the health department’s premises.
Undeterred, health minister Aaron Motsoaledi “is seeking legal advice on whether Buthelezi’s bail conditions preclude him from continuing his work for the health department”. (“Motsoaledi says NHI preparations continue despite court order”, March 5).
Surely if Buthelezi is precluded from entering the department’s premises, he is precluded from doing its work? Why is the minister so anxious to retain Buthelezi’s services? Previously, Business Day reported that Buthelezi “is no stranger to controversy”.
The NHI legislation mandates the health department to manage the “NHI Fund”. This will purchase all health services from both public and private sector providers and be responsible for funding all healthcare minus cosmetic care. Private medical aids would in effect become redundant.
NHI will become a gigantic SOE. The track record of SOEs does not inspire confidence. Private healthcare is arguably the best managed sector of the economy. Under NHI about 10-million private healthcare patients will be forcibly exposed to the inefficiencies and shortcomings of the public healthcare sector, which is riddled with corruption.
Despite a high court order barring the government from proclaiming or implementing any sections of the NHI Act until the Constitutional Court has ruled on two legal challenges before it, Motsoaledi said his department will continue preparing for NHI by introducing a national electronic patient record system and institute price controls for private healthcare services.
The deputy director-general for hospital services and the health department CFO were also arrested. How can the department be trusted with managing NHI? The policy, with its neo-Stalinist overtones, must be scrapped.
François Theron
Pretoria
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