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Solidarity has made its strongest appeal yet to both medical professionals and institutions to join the fight against the National Health Insurance Bill (NHI).

At Solidarity’s NHI Summit the impact this system could have on health services in the country, should it be signed into law, was discussed in depth. The activities of those in medical professions would also be affected at many levels.

Medical institutions and associations have been requested to support Solidarity’s planned legal action against the NHI.

Solidarity Chief Executive Dr Dirk Hermann said the consequences of doing nothing about the matter could be devastating for the medical industry and could be life-threatening to South Africans.

“The NHI is a reality if it is not stopped by the community. The implementation of the Act will have serious consequences for the country’s medical professionals. The medical value chain will be left in the hands of the state – a state with a long record of major failure,” Hermann said.

According to Hermann, the answer lies in privatisation and not in state centralisation. The state is a failure and the community and industries must put up resistance to the NHI Bill.

“The same state that has already destroyed state hospitals will exercise draconian powers over the entire medical sector under the NHI and it being implemented,” Hermann said.

According to Hermann, the government has thus far shown no interest in heeding the input and warnings about the NHI coming from institutions, experts and individuals.

However, Solidarity is ready to take the government on in a massive court battle and believes it is in the best interests of those in the medical industry to support this legal battle.

Anton van der Bijl, Solidarity deputy chief executive and head of legal matters, says Solidarity believes the Bill is unconstitutional in its entirety.

“It is clear that the NHI will have major tax implications – and that being the case, the Constitution stipulates that such a tax implication should be a money bill introduced by Enoch Godongwana, the minister of finance,” Van der Bijl said.

No money bill has been drafted by the minister of finance for the NHI, and questions surrounding the impact of the NHI Bill on taxation therefore remain unanswered.

Van Der Bijl is moreover of the opinion that any legislation should be accompanied by a proper sustainability study. According to him, the government has not conducted any recent or proper sustainability study on the NHI.

Solidarity encourages those in the medical industry who wish to support its legal action to visit the registration page where they will find information on ways to contribute to this fight.

Issued by Solidarity