Over 50% of our health budget is spent on private healthcare for just 14% of the population. Government aims to replace medical aid with more affordable National Health Insurance contributions. Host Dan Moyane asks politicians, business people, activists and health professionals whether the scheme will work.
The show is divided into five parts. Click on any part to play the video in your browser. Enjoy the show, and be sure to leave us your comments below.
HEALTH SHOW PART1
>> comment on this show << (or watch the next part below)
HEALTH SHOW PART2
>> comment on this show << (or watch the next part below)
HEALTH SHOW PART3
>> comment on this show << (or watch the next part below)
HEALTH SHOW PART4
>> comment on this show << (or watch the next part below)
HEALTH SHOW PART5
>> comment on this show <<
This is an issue that needs to be debated and resolved as soon as possible. More than 50% of the Health Budget goes to 14% of the population. It does not sound right. Stats can also be misleading and being manipulated I believe. I am a member of a medical aid and receive a government subsidy. I do not want however, be part of the privileged 14% while 86% of the population have no access to proper medical care.
Cant wait for the debate.
i am an accridited health care intermediary for 9yrs now,however i am a bid worried about the approach of NHI.to my understanding this is planned on 47million population of RSA citizen funded by tax payers of this country.
my worry is the fact that we are already catering for illegal immegrands that cross over to our country almost evryday,and they also need to get to enjoy the same benefits (in other words what we planning for might not be NHI as we say…)
as a proudly citizenship of this country and voted member of the best party,i turn to find our slogan of creating better job for youth so condradicted,hence a lot of us the healthcare intermediary might lose our job.
unless we start by building on what we initiated before we start something else(there’s GEMS,SOCIAL GRANT,RDP HOUSES and FOOD PARCELS) but corruption within all this sectors is still prevailing.
im in a private sector enjoy benefits of the few on the expense of majority, i think is an irresponsible system. presently the system of medical aid and public health have problems, we need something that will come in between, but before NHI is implimented, there should be enough consultation and discussion.
i also serve in the exco of dental association, our association would like to participate in the discussion.i believe as private practitioners have a lot to contribute to the success of our health system.
The best point made in the whole debate was that those responsible should fix the PRESENT state healthcare system BEFORE worrying about a new one! NHI is going to be a much bigger administrative headache than the present system. If this one cannot be run properly, there is no chance whatsoever that another newer system will work!!
Too many political and financial agendas on display here!! Where is the transparency????
What our goverment is trying to do is good, but the timing is wrong. Now is the time to concentrate on the immidiate problems that we as South Africans are facing – issues with immigration, mismangement of funds, proper public tranport infrastructure, etc. Every day we have an influx of illegal immigrants flocking in. It has been a problem for more than 2 decades now. Our goverment must not lose focus – one step at a time.
1. Denying a society the right to choose service providers of their choice in any health care delivery system is also denying them the right of freedom of choice: freedom, I believe, which has been struggled for during the previous regime and has been guaranteed in the new South Africa.
The South African people have sought and embraced the principle of freedom of choice for many decades. This should, I feel, be carried forward to our right to select providers of our choice in any health care delivery system.
Denying people the right to choose a private medical fund instead of mainstream health care services is also denying them this freedom. Unless we still have this right, I vote against the NHI.
2. I also agree with Martin Young that those responsible should first fix the PRESENT state healthcare system BEFORE worrying about a new one.
We do not have sufficient trained doctors (and those available are working for peanuts), lack of trained nurses, poor management of administration as well as FUNDS, corruption, lack of equipment and medication, not enough beds or linen in the public hospitals, long waiting periods and referrals between hospitals for a trained professional (e.g. psychiatrists or eye specialists, especially in rural areas) lack of transport for those waiting to be moved between hospitals, and much more. These are rather the reasons why 86% of people do not have access to proper medical care.
If the present system cannot be run properly, what is the chance that another system will work, if run by the same (incompetent?) people?
Or is the idea that private sector practitioners should do the work at NHI fees? No thank you. As a professional person myself, I have rendered services to governmental bodies for several years in the past and I am still waiting for payment.
3. The government (presumably) now requests input and help from the private sector to establish the NHI. Yet, the government regularly ignores what assistance already exists to possibly address some of the limitations in public health care. Before placing additional burden on already burdened tax payers, also look at possible additional sources of income for the NHI:
In regard to mental health particular, I refer amongst others to the South African Association for Pastoral Work (SAAP) which was founded to bring together all the role-players interested and actively working in the mental health field in South Africa (I am not talking about religious pastoral only, but spiritual – which entails both psychological and spiritual training).
I would suggest we start off by taking a look at what we already have, attempt to manage and run that which already exists professionally and honestly, before embarking on new ventures.
thank you for the platform
mine is simple
government is run by people (me and you). at some point in life we went to school. in some of our classes there were those guys who came to school to please their parents. we all know that some of them were smart but never bothered to work hard or much more smarter than the struggling ones.
we all grow and grow but mature with our attitudes. now the same guys have completed school and now are just going to work to earn a salary and they want safe and secure jobs that do not require them to work hard. as if that was enough they join unions to make sure that they are secure. remember “they are smart” at work they work by the rules/policies.
you see they are able to qualify because for them to be safe they need a career. so they work and know tea-time, lunch -time and knock off time. these are the guys who enjoy the public sector services. they serve and when we demand better service they deny us our hard earned expectation. they infer that we think that we are better “because we hold certain positions”, not that they did not have the same opportunity that we had but they chose the simple route. so what does governemnt have to do with this?
CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME
if you are taugh well as a child then you become fruitfull to your surroundings. if every parent, every child, every student, every academic, every labourer, every professional and every civil and public servant can take this “OATH”
“IT BEGINS WITH ME”
every service in our country will improve overnight. we are in a state of a nation without pride. our public health is run by the individuals than i mentioned earlier “those who please parents to go to school and those who work to earn a salary” as public servants they need a paradigm shift. some are close to riterement and they stand in they way of fresh blood.
I WOULD URGE ANYONE WHO EXPERIENCE POOR SERVICE FROM THESE INSTITUTIONS TO FIRST COMPLAIN AT THE UNIONS BEFORE EVEN ASKING FOR THE MANAGER.
NHI OR NOT SELF MANAGEMENT IS WHAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS MOST. OUR COUNTRY REQUIRES US TO BE ACCOUNTABLE FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE. IT IS TRUE YOU CAN NOT BE IN A COUNRTY AND “SEEK FOR SOLUTIONS THAT DO NOT AFFECT YOU”
I LIVE IN A WONDERFUL COUNTRY THAT REQUIRES US TO WORK SMARTER, HARDER AND PLAY LIKE THERE IS NO TOMOROW WHEN IT IS PLAYTIME (win medals)
to those who countinue to add value to our country put more pride and make sure that those who bring down your sector pay for it. these institutions continue to run because of you.
I am graduate from the University with a Diploma in Human Resources.17 years medical aid Broker.I can come in as an advisor for NHI.Brokers are human fit them in government as well.
i was so suprise that our health minister Aron Motswaledi is paying R78000 towards medical aid expences,to my understanding he is supposed to belong to Gorvenment medical scheme.
which our gorvenment tried very hard to implement for government employees to make health insurance so affordable.
if he still on private healthcare then,he doesn’t lead by example.however it tells that he prefered a better service over the GEMS,and that’s how the whole society will feel about the NHI.
i just hope we debate this even futher….
Hi there
I am a health professional who works for a union because the government is not paying us decent salaries. The cuurent OSD has tried but still is not there and if we want NHI to work we must take health workers in particular professionals seriously, salaries and working conditions must be improved so as to attract those who are abroad and retain the existing cadres. Overhaul the management as non health and non managers find themselves having to manage health services and are failing this country badly. NHI is the way to go and the sooner we start opening colleges and increasing intakes at Universities for education and training of these health professionals the better.
thankx once more for the platform.
judging from the number of comments it smply means that our nation is packed with followers. at this point and time i should have been struggling to find my last comment.
we need to identify issues that need instant correction such as the people who go on lunch leaving hundreds of people waiting for service.
then we need to deal with decision makers who do not make decisions.
let the decision makers hold their meetings on weekends. during the week days they will do what they are hired to do “manage staff and address issues”. these decision makers have a contractual obligation to work beyond their normal call of duty.
once administration and management works like a clock then any good initiative will work.
MY FOCUS WILL ALWAYS BE ON MANAGEMENT AND WORKERS BECAUSE ANY EMPLOYER HIRES PEOPLE TO PERFORM CERTAIN DUTIES. GOVERMENT DOES THE SAME BUT PEOPLE FAIL GOVERNMENT AND STILL BLAME GOVERMENT FOR THEIR FAILURES AND FAILLINGS.
IN CLOSING I WILL GO BACK TO MY SLOGAN “IT BEGINS WITH ME”
NHI & BAD ATTITUDE WILL FAIL OUR HARD EARNED FREEDOMS.
Great information – we love it. Can’t tell you how much this type of communication is needed for the good of all Africa: for the people – towards the people. We need people like you for the good of our country.
COMMENT:
Judging by the atrocious english of those who offer their services as brokers/advisors/medical professionals in the responses above, the NHI has already started to attract a top-heavy body of poorly qualified wannabe “managers”.
I see nothing but catastrophe if that is the case. Pay the people who do the work, and leave them to manage themselves. Keep politics out of it. Rhetoric can’t cure the common cold, much less cancer.
The NHI is a good plan – in any other country! The current government does not know the first thing about management. Being in a position because of affirmative action does not make you smart, competent or useful. It just keeps a seat warm at the expense of all of us – as the minister so smartly pointed out. The socialist statement that all the money in SA belongs to all the people is laughable – and underpins the attitude of all revolutionaries that think whatever they can dream up over a few smokes and a beer (or is it “cigars and Blue Label”?) must be better than anything in the private sector. I say no to NHI until the government has proven its ability to run its departments properly: Home Affairs, Education, Science and Technology, Health, etc. Show me a good public hospital first before you dismantle a working private one!
Its simple. WHERE DOES THE MINISTER GO FOR HEALT CARE?? DOES HE GO TO A PRIVATE INSTITUTION OR A GOVERMENT INSTITUTION???
WHY FIX WHAT ISNT BROKEN???
“An economics professor at a local college made the statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class. That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, “OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B.
The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
The scores never in creased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
It could not be any simpler than that.”