Health Minister Joe Phaahla has confirmed that the National Health Insurance will be implemented in stages.
He said this will be done to ensure that all systems are in place.
Phaahla said the NHI was a system to include all of South Africa because, currently, 85% of the people rely on public health.
Phaahla and senior officials in the department were on Tuesday briefing the select committee on health and social services in the National Council of Provinces on the NHI.
The NHI Bill was adopted by the National Assembly last Tuesday and the NCOP was now processing it.
The NCOP said they will be following all the required processes before they also approve the Bill.
Members of the select committee raised questions about how the NHI will be implemented when the public health system is facing challenges including infrastructure problems.
But the implementation would be done in phases over a period of time.
Senior officials in the department told the committee that the implementation could take place over the next three or four years.
Phaahla said they will not implement universal health coverage overnight.
“Current challenges in terms of infrastructure a number of members have asked that question. The reason why quite upfront the Bill does also say from the White Paper that the NHI will be implemented in stages to say that starting from primary health as a main foundation of providing services and building up to the highest level. It’s also to give time for especially the more highly burdened public health sector, which needs a lot more investment to give time for increased investment and further improvement both in terms of infrastructure and equipment,” said Phaahla.
He added that the Office of Health Standards and Compliance makes assessments of their facilities and makes recommendations where they need to improve.
“As more and more facilities get ready to provide secondary and tertiary services those facilities can be accredited,” said Phaahla.
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