MIDDELBURG – Health MEC Sasekani Manzini emphasizes that Mpumalanga is prepared for the implementation of the National Health Insurance (NHI), which aims to provide quality and accessible healthcare for everyone. On Wednesday, May 15. 2024, President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the NHI Bill into law, describing it as a crucial tool to combat poverty.
Manzini made these comments to the paper during the opening of a 24-hour clinic in Mhluzi, Middelburg, on Friday, May 17, 2024. The MEC stated that 123 facilities in the province are accredited by the Office of Health Standards Compliance (OHSC).
“The remaining facilities are still to be assessed. This means that these 123 accredited facilities serve as a foundation for the next five years, indicating our readiness for the NHI,” she said.
However, the Democratic Alliance (DA) disagreed with Manzini’s statements, noting that only 123 out of 292 health facilities in the province have met the minimum OHSC standards. “This is also in stark contrast to MEC Manzini’s own claims that all public healthcare facilities are NHI compliant, while not a single public hospital in the province is NHI compliant,” said Jane Sithole, DA spokesperson on health.
“They cannot say the state of health facilities is not ready when we have been serving more than 94 percent of Mpumalanga’s population in these very facilities,” Manzini continued. “It is not reasonable to assert that only 15 percent feel Mpumalanga or the country is not ready for the NHI, as we are continuously serving our people every day.”
